Everything you should know before Michigan Gov. Whitmer’s second COVID briefing this week Whitmer, Khaldun cited concerning COVID trends during Wednesday update Published: Updated: Tags: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's Dec. 29, 2020, COVID-19 briefing LANSING, Mich. – Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will provide an update on Michigan’s handling of COVID-19 on Friday -- the second briefing in three days. In-person learning Whitmer is expected to “strongly encourage” that Michigan public schools reopen for in-person learning by the beginning of March, according to the Associated Press. Public schools in Michigan were shut down during the fall due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. Their buildings have been closed for about two months -- since the state reported thousands of COVID-19 cases per day in November.