Livingston Today

Rep. Hank Vaupel (R-Fowlerville) is calling on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to join several legislators’ plans to reopen Livingston County, according to the Michigan House Republicans website.

Vaupel said in a statement, “The health and safety of our people are the most important objectives at this time, but those who are able to work safely while maintaining social-distancing safety standards should be allowed to do so. That’s just one example of the regional changes that I believe should be made to the orders on Livingston County residents.”

An official task force is already in the works to determine which counties are ready to open up and at what levels, depending on the amount of COVID-19 cases. For example, Oakland, Wayne and Macomb Counties would likely have the most limits, considering they have the highest number of coronavirus cases. 

At the same time, the task force will also decide which jobs can continue and which ones should still be held off as officials attempt to get the coronavirus under control. It plans to lean on the mandates detailed via the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), as well as urge Gov. Whitmer to work with them in their continued efforts.

In his statement, Vaupel said Livingston County can’t be a part of a cookie-cutter method when it comes to reopening the state and fighting the coronavirus. He ended by saying he has positive expectations that the governor will want to join forces with them. 

“I respect the governor’s efforts to protect Michiganders, and I share her goal of limiting the spread of coronavirus, but a one-size-fits-all approach no longer works for the people of Livingston County. I am hopeful the governor will accept our invitation to work together to determine what can be done safely in each corner of the state without compromising public health," Vaupel said, according to Michigan House Republicans.