Michigan grandfather walks miles to see new granddaughter through glass door, son says

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A new Michigan grandpa has been regularly walking four miles in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic just to see his newborn granddaughter -- through a glass door -- according to his son.

“It breaks my heart that my dad can’t hold my daughter,” Joshua Gillett wrote in an Instagram post where he shared a photo of one of the visits. “However, as you can clearly see on my dad’s face, he’s overflowing with joy just to see her.”

Prior to the COVID-19 lockdown in Michigan, Gillett said his dad did get to hold the child – but only twice.

“While my wife was pregnant, I don’t think an hour went by where my dad didn’t brag about becoming a grandpa soon,” Gillett wrote. “Now, his granddaughter is finally here, and the only thing he can hold are the daily pictures we send him.”

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued a “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order last week, telling state residents to socially isolate at home or stay away from contact with others during the coronavirus outbreak. Like similar orders in other states, it also closed nonessential businesses and schools.

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This week, she also declared a state of disaster and ordered that schools remain closed for the rest of the academic year.

“Right now, too many people are out and about,” Whitmer said at a news conference Thursday morning.

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Michigan had at least 9,315 confirmed COVID-19 cases Thursday afternoon and at least 335 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

For Gillett’s part, he is urging people to stay home, even if they’re not concerned about contracting the virus themselves.

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“#Stayhome for the new dads and moms who can’t wait to have the world meet their new baby,” he wrote in his Instagram post. “#Stayhome for the grandparents who want to hold their new grandchild more than anything…#Stayhome for the greatgrandparents who know time is a gift.”