Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced today (THU) the next round of actions to help people facing hardships due to the COVID-19 crisis. They include a tax respite for businesses hurt by the COVID-19 restrictions and making plans for vaccines once they’re approved.
Entertainment venues and sit-down restaurants will be given more time to pay their December sales and payroll taxes. A new commission will make plans to promote one or more of the COVID-19 vaccines that could be near approval for distribution. That’s along with early planning on who will get priority status for the vaccines, starting with health care workers.
Whitmer also asked the Legislature to move on financial assistance for small businesses and extended unemployment benefits for workers who’ve lost income due to COVID restrictions.
“They can’t afford to wait, and neither can we,” said Whitmer.
The state health department reports more than 10 thousand people have died from COVID in Michigan, and there have been more than 421-thousand confirmed cases.