Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is calling on President Donald Trump to issue a federal mask mandate.
In an op-ed published Wednesday morning in the New York Times, Whitmer said the Trump administration needs to make masks mandatory across the country to slow the increasing number of COVID-19 cases.
Related: Whitmer: If COVID-19 cases continue to go up, it won't be safe for kids to go to school
"When more Americans wear a mask in public, we can save lives and put ourselves in a better position to send our children back to school in the fall," she wrote.
In the op-ed, Whitmer cites several studies showing how masks work and will save lives and lessen the impact of the coronavirus on the economy.
Related: Whitmer 'very concerned' about being able to safely send kids back to school in the fall
She also talked about several major retailers requiring masks, which include Meijer, Wal-Mart, Kroger and more.
"The president should follow their lead and issue a federal mandate that requires masks in businesses across the country," she wrote.
Whitmer also touched on schools, reiterating that she will not send kids back to school unless it is safe.
"The president has said repeatedly that he thinks our kids should go back to school," she wrote. "But I am not sending kids and our education work force into our schools unless it is safe to do so.
"And the most effective way we can protect our students and the millions of dedicated educators across the country is to ensure we all mask up now. This can be accomplished best through a federal mandate," she added.
"The president has the chance to save tens of thousands of lives. I am hopeful that he will seize this opportunity," she wrote.
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
Click here for a page with resources including a COVID-19 overview from the CDC, details on cases in Michigan, a timeline of Governor Gretchen Whitmer's orders since the outbreak, coronavirus' impact on Southeast Michigan, and links to more information from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC and the WHO.
View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.
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