Rep. Kildee: Protesters looking to get back to normal
Michigan Rep. Dan Kildee reacts to protests against the stay-at-home order in his state.
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House Chief Deputy Majority Whip Dan Kildee, D-Mich., told "Bill Hemmer Reports" Monday that he understands the frustration of Americans who are living under state-imposed shutdown orders due to the coronavirus pandemic, but insisted the wisest course of action is to stick to the guidelines laid out by the White House coronavirus task force.
"We need to ... make sure that as we do this, as we transition back to whatever the new normal looks like, we do so in a way that doesn't create a second spike of coronavirus," Kildee told host Bill Hemmer.
Kildee's home state of Michigan saw protests last week against Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's restrictions, while other protests have cropped up in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Indiana, California and New Jersey.
The CDC has put in place social distancing guidelines for the nation to follow in order to stop the spread of the virus. Officials urge people to stay at least six feet from other people, not to gather in groups, stay out of crowded places and avoid mass gatherings.
"We know this may not be over right away. We just want to be thoughtful, careful, and as effective and deliberate as we can," said Kildee, who added that the American people can and have made "short-term sacrifices" to combat the virus and that those sacrifices are the root of the "struggle right now."
THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK, STATE-BY-STATE
Kildee also told Hemmer that the time for states to consider a return to a "new normal" will come once states have reached the "other side" of the infection curve.
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He noted that Whitmer's current stay-at-home order is set to expire April 30. By contrast, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's order is set to expire set June 10 while Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has set May 8 as a new "target date" for gradual reopening of the Commonwealth.
"We are at the peak rate, we have seen a decline in new cases, for sure, which is a positive indicator," Kildee said of the situation in Michigan.
"If we see that number continue to go down quickly, than I do think we can begin that process," he added. "But we have to keep in mind, this is uncharted territory, and we don't get a second chance. We have to make sure to get it right."
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