Whitmer: ‘Listen to Your Epidemiologists,’ ‘Not Protests’

On Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Situation Room,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) stated that the lesson from Michigan is that “you listen to your epidemiologists, not politicians, not Twitter feeds, not protests, even.”

Whitmer said, “I think if we’re learning a lesson from Michigan, it’s that you listen to your epidemiologists, not politicians, not Twitter feeds, not protests, even. You listen to your epidemiologists. We’ve pushed our curve down. We’ve seen success. But of course, the longer this goes on, the harder it is to stay disciplined. And that’s why the mask up campaign is critical. We know that if everyone would simply wear a mask, we could bring this virus to a sputtering halt, and yet, it’s become a political issue. And that’s why, if the administration’s going to spend energy anywhere, it would be wonderful if they spent it on encouraging people to wear masks, and ramping up testing and tracing.”

She added, “I’m not sending kids and our education workforce into our schools unless it’s safe. It’s that simple. The reason that Michigan has been able to push our curve down is because we’re listening to scientists, not threats, not politicians. We’ve got to make decisions based on keeping people safe and we’ve got to ask everyone to continue to do their part.”

Whitmer concluded that “politicians going in and meddling with protocols and CDC practices is a recipe for disaster.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett