West Central Michigan News

A Republican Lower Peninsula lawmaker's appeal to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to repeal the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services' (MDHHS) COVID-19 restrictions seems to have fallen on deaf ears.

Whitmer has signed additional legislation aimed at reducing COVID-19 transmission in the state, saying the new laws "will help us protect each other as we continue to fight this virus," after Michigan House Rep. Michele Hoitenga (R-Manton) called on the governor to repeal the existing restrictions.

Hoitenga specifically asked Whitmer on Nov. 3 to repeal MDHHS Director Robert Gordon’s latest COVID-19 restrictions, according to Michigan House Republicans.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer | stock photo

Hoitenga said in her statement that she was concerned the restrictions amounted to a "blatant disregard for privacy that the people of Michigan are entitled to."

"I fail to see how supplying a restaurant with a customer’s phone number will protect them from contracting COVID-19," Hoitenga told Michigan House Republicans. "The MDHHS contact-tracing mandate was complete Orwellian overreach, unsupported by data and constitutional authority."

Meanwhile, the restaurant industry "has been exemplary" in how it has handled the pandemic, with "a minuscule 2% of positive cases" traced to the industry in Michigan, Hoitenga said in her statement to Michigan House Republicans, which questioned how COVID-related mandates on restaurants can be justified.

"We must consider the rights and livelihoods of Michiganders before implementing rules that do very little to address the looming health crisis," Hoitenga said, according to Michigan House Republicans. "We can keep the economy open, respect our freedoms, all while keeping vulnerable people healthy to the best of our capabilities. It’s time for the governor to remove these senseless new rules."

Two days after Hoitenga issued her statement, Whitmer signed six pieces of legislation that amount to the state's new COVID-19 laws, according to Click on Detroit.

"Right now, Michigan is seeing a record number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, and these bills will help us protect each other as we continue to fight this virus," Whitmer said, according to Click on Detroit. "COVID-19 is still a very real threat to our families, frontline workers and small businesses, and I will continue to do everything in my power to save lives and will work with anyone who shares those goals."

Whitmer also called on state lawmakers to issue a mask mandate, saying, "At this moment, mask wearing could not be more critical."

Since the beginning of the pandemic, over 236,000 coronavirus cases have been reported in the state, of which almost 8,000 have died, according to Michigan.gov.

Hoitenga was mayor of Manton until 2016 when she was first elected to represent House District 102 in the Michigan Legislature. Hoitenga was reelected in 2018 and again last week when she defeated her Democrat challenger, Amanda Siggins, taking more than 69 percent of the vote, according to Ballotpedia.