Whitmer: Announcement on gyms, sports coming 'very soon'

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Wednesday she will make an announcement on reopening gyms and clarifying the standing of high school and other youth sports “very soon," saying she knows many are anxious about their status amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The governor has kept fitness centers, movie theaters, bowling alleys, rinks and similar businesses closed since March, except in much of northern Michigan, where they could open in June. She said she wants to “get the protocols correct" and “I think we've got an idea of what that looks like.”

An announcement is expected as early as Thursday.

“We have to get this right,” Whitmer said at a news conference. “We take this very seriously. The decisions that I will make in the coming days and announce are made in a way that will be protecting athletes and families and coaches and parents and patrons — our small business owners as well.”

The Michigan High School Athletic Association recently delayed football until the spring. Three other fall sports — soccer, volleyball, and swimming and diving — are in limbo outside of less populated northern counties because of an order closing indoor gyms and pools and requiring athletes to keep 6 feet apart.