By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com

A local lawmaker has announced an approach to restarting the Michigan economy and with it re-establishing some normalcy during these COVID-19 times.

Republican State Representative Hank Vaupel of Fowlerville on Tuesday announced a regional, safety-focused approach for getting people back to work. According to a release, House Republicans have unveiled a blueprint to help the move the state towards a rolling restart, using an approach based on the prevalence and risk factors of the virus, which varies by region.

A task force would be created to determine which counties could have restrictions eased more quickly. The task force would include representatives from Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s administration, the Legislature, and outside groups. They would place counties into 3 tiers based on COVID-19 activity and other factors like hospitalization rates and capacity. As an example, Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties, which have the majority of cases in the state, would be in the tier with the tightest restrictions. The task force would also help determine which jobs could be resumed safely using federal guidelines which in some cases are not as restrictive as Michigan’s.

Vaupel said he “respects the governor’s efforts to protect Michiganders” and that he shares her goal of limiting the spread, “but a one-size-fits-all approach no longer works for the people of Livingston County.” He added, “the health and safety of our people are the most important objectives at this time, but those who are able to work safely while maintaining social distancing standards should be allowed to do so.”