Like their colleagues to the east and west, seven governors from the Midwest region announced Thursday that they are partnering up to coordinate guidelines on reopening the economies in their states. The move comes as President Trump is prepared to announce guidelines to begin reopening the economy at the end of the month.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D), Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine (R), Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D), Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) issued a statement Thursday announcing the joint effect to “safely reopen” their economies.
“We recognize that our economies are all reliant on each other, and we must work together to safely reopen them so hardworking people can get back to work and businesses can get back on their feet,” the governors said in a joint statement.
NEW: Midwest governors Gretchen Whitmer, Mike DeWine, Tony Evers, Tim Walz, JB Pritzker, Eric Holcomb and Andy Beshear just announced they will coordinate to reopen the economy in the Midwest region. pic.twitter.com/ySqj39bGbh
— Kat Stafford (@kat__stafford) April 16, 2020
The move comes after governors from the East Coast states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Delaware and Massachusetts announced earlier this week a joint regional task force focused on reopening economies.
Shortly after East Coast states’ announcement, states on the West Coast such as Washington, Oregon and California also announced they would coordinate plans to reopen economies.