Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed an executive order limiting non-essential veterinary procedures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Her office has released the following statement:
Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-32, which places a temporary restriction on non-essential veterinary procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The order prohibits all non-essential veterinary procedures starting on March 31, 2020, and encourages veterinarians and veterinary technicians to practice telemedicine as much as possible to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
“While there is no evidence that pets can transmit COVID-19, we must take additional steps to promote social distancing,” said Whitmer. “If we want to flatten the curve and slow the spread of COVID-19, all Michiganders must do their part, stay in their homes, and stay six feet away from others when they’re outside. We’ve taken aggressive steps in the past three weeks to slow the spread of the virus, and I will continue to work every day to ensure we protect the most people we can.”
Under executive order 2020-32, “non-essential veterinary services” means all veterinary services other than those that are necessary to preserve the life of a pet, as determined by a licensed veterinarian; necessary to treat serious pain that threatens the health and safety of a pet, as determined by a licensed veterinarian; necessary to euthanize a pet, as determined by a licensed veterinarian; or necessary to treat or prevent the transmission of any infectious disease that can be transmitted between animals and human beings, as determined by a licensed veterinarian.
Information around this outbreak is changing rapidly. The latest information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.
