In a press conference Thursday, Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said many of the state's hospitals are at or nearing capacity due to a current surge in COVID-19 cases.
State officials said hospitalizations are expected to be heightened over the next four weeks due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer said national experts are concerned with Thanksgiving activities regarding travel and congregation; she said officials are very alarmed about what COVID-19 numbers will look like in a few weeks.
"Hospitals are already getting close to the brink," she said.
Dr. Khaldun said Michiganders traveled over Thanksgiving in a way they hadn't since the pandemic started in March.
Whitmer warned that the next eight weeks will be really difficult due to predicted similar behavior over the Christmas holiday.
She said congregating and mobility feeds the growth of COVID-19.
"If we all do our part right now and take this incredible seriously, life will look very differently," she said.
She encouraged people not to travel over Christmas or hold large gatherings and suggested opting for Zoom or dropping off meals instead.
