Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer vetoed a Republican bill on Friday that would have kept coronavirus patients out of nursing homes and placed them in entirely separate facilities — an effort aimed at protecting those most vulnerable to developing serious complications from the coronavirus, which originated in China.
“The bill was a direct challenge to the Whitmer administration’s current handling of nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has focused on caring for those with the virus in isolated spaces of existing homes,” The Detroit News reported. “About 33% of the state’s deaths linked to the virus have been nursing home residents or employees, according to state data.”
Sen. Peter Lucido (R-Shelby Township) blasted Whitmer’s decision to not take more action to protect vulnerable seniors in nursing homes, which “account for more than 41 percent of the country’s pandemic fatalities,” according to The New York Times.
“I am very disappointed and saddened that the governor vetoed this extremely important and commonsense legislation,” Lucido said in a statement. “Politics should not prevail over the health and safety of our seniors and health care workers, and I urge my colleagues in the Senate and House to consider passing a veto override. We owe this to our citizens, especially the seniors and vulnerable members of our communities who cannot speak for themselves.” – READ MORE
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