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State Sen. Kevin Daley (R-Lum) voted April 7 to extend Michigan's state of emergency but stopped short of allowing the 70-day extension request made by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to pass, saying it is too long.

Daley supports Senate Concurrent Resolution 24, which extended the current emergency and disaster declaration through Thursday, April 30.

“While I do not support a 70-day extension at this time, I believe we do need to maintain proper distancing measures for the immediate future as a way to maintain personal safety and limit the spread of the virus,” Daley said in a press release.

Michigan Sen. Kevin Daley (R-Lum)

More than 30,000 Michiganders have tested positive for COVID-19 and the health crisis in the state is rapidly changing.

“I understand that this is an unprecedented time for many folks and unordinary precautions are being taken,” Daley said in the release. “Extending the state of emergency until the end of April is reasonable, follows the federal guidelines and allows the state to react to new information accordingly."

Daley said he has taken an oath to protect the public health and he takes this duty seriously, especially now as lawmakers grapple with protecting its citizens while also protecting the state economy.  

While voting on the state of emergency extension, lawmakers also took extra precautions to keep themselves safe as they were all in the Capitol building together. Lawmakers stood 6 feet apart from one another and did not use computers or voting buttons.  

Health screenings administered by the Michigan State Police and medical professional were mandatory, according to Daley.

Daley said it's important for Michiganders to get back to their normal daily lives.

"Families and businesses will be feeling the effects of this for months, if not longer," Daley said in the release. "We need to allow people to return to work and their normal lives as soon as it is possible to do so safely. We are all hopeful the outlook for our state is much better by the end of the month, and we can begin a gradual return to normal.”