LANSING, MI (WTVB) – The battle lines have been drawn at the State Capitol over the use of masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist has sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey and House Speaker Lee Chatfield which calls for an enforced mask mandate inside the Senate and House chambers
Gilchrst stressed that a mask mandate is not a political issue, and that the safety of citizens should be respected by state leadership.
Shirkey is encouraging people to wear masks but he is against a mask mandate.
He said in a post on his Facebook page, “I do NOT support a statewide mask mandate. I do encourage everyone to honor whatever policies individual businesses, organizations and schools establish.”
Shirkey stated last Saturday after the Michigan Supreme Court ruling against months of executive orders issued by Governor Whitmer, “This ruling does not alter our collective responsibility to protect ourselves and others by wearing masks, social distancing, and washing our hands. The virus still presents a threat to our health and we must be vigilant in our actions.”
Governor Whitmer blasted Shirkey on Tuesday saying “I think it is concerning that the top Republican in Michigan government is an anti-masker and doesn’t want to encourage and require everyone across the state to mask up.”
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