Michigan Gov. Whitmer: Trump Guideline Extension 'Important'

It is "really important" President Donald Trump extended the restrictions and guidelines on social distancing through the end of April because of the continuing spread of coronavirus, as a "consistent and clear message must be sent," Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Monday.

Her state is now one of the nation's hotspots, with more than 5,486 cases of the virus reported and 132 people dead, as of Monday morning. Whitmer told CNN's "New Day" that the best tool available is to keep people from being around each other.

"I think we all need to be on the same page and consistently send the same serious message to Americans everywhere," she said.

Michigan has the fourth-highest number of cases in the United States, behind New York, New Jersey, and California. Whitmer said she and her team have been working around the clock to get the protective gear medical professionals need. 

FEMA provided 112,000 N95 masks over the weekend, and that shipment was a "big help," but still just a fraction of what will end up being needed.

"We're living day by day at this juncture," she said. "It's important it's all hands on deck."

Whitmer said she also believes there needs to be a national strategy on buying equipment, rather than states competing with each other.

"We want to do our part, but at this juncture, we need ventilators," Whitmer said. "We need gloves and masks and we need people to join us on the front lines. So we're working on all of those fronts, with the federal government on our own, and within our state borders, every possible juncture."

Trump has criticized Whitmer frequently, but she insisted they are not enemies. 

"There's no such thing as partisanship right now," she said. "The enemy is COVID-19. We are not one another's enemy, and we're working really hard to build relationships with the federal government."

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