Michigan's Whitmer says lack of national strategy has created 'porous situation' for coronavirus to spread

https://www.revenuehits.com/lps/pubref/?ref=@RH@yFrunQv_mzw-z-eHW6TrQFgCNN7_AvfT

Michigan's Whitmer says lack of national strategy has created 'porous situation' for coronavirus to spread

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Sunday that a better national strategy is needed to battle the coronavirus pandemic and that President Trump’s assertion that the federal government should not be the first line of defense against the contagion is “creating a more porous situation.”

Whitmer, a Democrat, did say she was grateful for the 400 ventilators her state had received from the federal government and added that she wasn’t waging any political attacks against Trump during the outbreak, but she added that the current “patchwork” approach to combatting the virus could lead to more people getting sick and dying.

“Not having a national strategy where there is one policy for the country as opposed to a patchwork based on who the governor is something I think is creating a more porous situation where COVID-19 will go on longer and more people may get sick and sadly more lives may get lost,”

The comments by Whitmer, a rising star in the Democratic Party who has been recently mentioned as potential running mate for former Vice President Joe Biden’s White House bid, echo those of other governors in states hard hit by the coronavirus.

Many state leaders have complained that they are in bidding wars to get ventilators, N95 respirator masks and other personal protective equipment desperately needed by health care workers on the frontlines of the pandemic. Whitmer, along with fellow Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York, wants the federal government to take charge of procuring and distributing much of this equipment in order to streamline the process and cut back on states outbidding one another.