Tax foreclosures in Michigan are now being delayed until May 29 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Governor Whitmer made the announcement Wednesday afternoon in the latest in a series of executive orders over the past week.
“There are people right now who are out of a paycheck. They’re terrified of losing their home in the coming weeks. I will not sit back and let them live in fear,” said Whitmer. “So today, I’ve signed an executive order banning tax foreclosures while we work to mitigate the spread of coronavirus.”
Whitmer also announced the state’s first death from COVID-19, a man in his 50s in Wayne County.
“People need to take this seriously. We had someone die today because of COVID-19. There are other people who have been diagnosed, that are fighting for their lives,” added Whitmer.
Michigan’s chief medical officer Dr. Joneigh Khaldun says while the official number of positive cases of the disease stands at 80 as of the tests that had been completed as of 12 a.m. Wednesday, there are more.
“We know that so far today, there are at least 30 additional cases of COVID-19 in the state of Michigan, and we have many more tests that are running right now,” said Dr. Khaldun. Whitmer said the state does not have enough tests or enough resources to process the tests quickly enough.
The governor also addressed the temporary shutdown of all auto plants by Fiat Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors, saying it was the right move to protect public health, despite the economic impact that will result.
