
Lawmakers in Michigan are planning to strip the state's Governor, Gretchen Whitmer (pictured) of some powers following perceived excessive coronavirus lockdown measures

Michigan's Republican lawmakers are planning to strip Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer of her powers as armed anti-lockdown protesters gathered outside of her home and demanded she reopen the state's economy amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Whitmer is expected to speak on Friday about plans to extend Michigan's stay-at-home order and lockdown measures, which are due to expire April 30, until at least May 15.

The governor has already said that despite extending the stay-at-home measures, she is hoping to relax some restrictions to start reopening sectors of the economy.

Michigan has the third-most reported deaths related to COVID-19 in the United States behind New York and New Jersey. The death toll in the state is currently more than 2,900 and there are nearly 34,000 infections.

The fatality rate in Michigan for COVID-19 is the highest in the country at 8.4 percent. Data that measures the rate of coronavirus spread from secondary infections has also indicated that a COVID positive person in the state will go on to infect one more person.

'There will be a need for an extension of some sort,' Whitmer said of the lockdown extension.

'We know that even when we get to a stable moment, people who are compromised, who are vulnerable to COVID-19, are still going to need to stay home.

'Some version will be in effect for a while.'

Republicans have been ramping up their criticism of Gov Whitmer in recent weeks and they've scheduled a session in the Michigan legislature on Friday.

They plan to create an oversight committee that would review Whitmer's coronavirus orders and could strip her of some of her powers as governor.

Scroll down for video

Armed armed anti-lockdown protesters gathered outside of Michican Governor Whitmer's home on Thursday as they demanded she reopen the state's economy amid the coronavirus pandemic

As news spread that Whitmer was likely to extend the lockdown period until May 15, armed protesters gathered outside of her home on Thursday for a demonstration dubbed 'operation Queen's castle'

INFECTIONS: There are currently nearly 34,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in Michigan. The number of new cases have been sporadic throughout the pandemic

DEATHS: Michigan has the third-most reported deaths related to COVID-19 in the United States behind New York and New Jersey. The daily death toll has been sporadically increasing throughout the pandemic

The fatality rate in Michigan for COVID-19 is the highest in the country at 8.4 percent. Data that measures the rate of coronavirus spread from secondary infections has also indicated that one person will become infected by a COVID positive person in the state. Pictured left is the spread of secondary infection and right is infections in the state

Michigan's lockdown measures: Order was put in place on March 23. It is currently due to expire April 30. People are required to stay home unless necessary. Those who leave their home must adhere to social distancing and stay six feet away. All public and private gatherings of any number of people outside of a single household are prohibited. Nonessential businesses are closed and travel is limited. Advertisement

Whitmer's spokesman promised a veto against the Republicans' planned move, saying her political opponents were 'playing dangerous partisan games' while the governor is focused on saving lives and controlling the spread of the virus.

Her critics have accused her of overstepping her authority with the lockdown measures she has put in place in the state.

Michigan's stay-at-home orders were initially put in place on March 23, before being revised on April 9, to ban people from visiting friends and relatives and travelling to vacation homes. The order also halted sales of certain items such as furniture and gardening supplies.

But in a move that angered Michigan's more conservative corners, Whitmer said in a podcast interview that abortions should continue as the procedures are part of 'life-sustaining' health care for women.

Critics say her order - which is among the toughest in the nation - is an outlier and they want it amended to allow lawn care services, garden centers, construction projects and other business activity.

Whitmer, like other governors across the country, has said she can't significantly ease restrictions until they expand testing and keep those infected out of the workplace.

As news spread that Whitmer was likely to extend the lockdown period until May 15, armed protesters gathered outside of her home on Thursday for a demonstration dubbed 'operation Queen's castle'.

Pictures from the scene showed people carrying American and state flags, with some holding 'Trump 2020' placards. One protester held up a sign which read 'No more whitless dim Whit'.

As seen in other anti-lockdown protests around the country, some protesters were armed with guns.

As news spread that Whitmer was planning to extend the lockdown period, protesters - some of whom were armed - gathered outside the Governor's home on Thursday (pictured)

Other protester's carried 'Trump 2020' signs, while others carried signs asking for them to be allowed back to work

Whitmer, 48, has been accused by some critics of overstepping the authority of her position with the measures she has put in place in the state

On April 9, she revised the stay-at-home orders to ban people from visiting friends and relatives, travelling to vacation homes and halted sales of certain items such as furniture and gardening supplies

Images shared by protesters on the group's Facebook page showed Whitmer wearing a crown.

On the page, a message said they were protesting 'near the taxpayer-funded mansion to advocate re-opening Michigan NOW, as well as ask Whitmer why she does not follow her own order and 'Stay Home, Stay Safe?'

Brian Pannebecker, who helped organize the protest, told Fox News: 'We wanted to send Gretchen Whitmer a message, we didn't want to surrender our liberties just for a little temporary safety.'

The protest outside Whitmer's home on Thursday were significantly smaller than the demonstrations held over the past week outside of the State Capitol in Lansing.

Large crowds of protesters had gathered at the urging of Trump, who encouraged his followers to ‘liberate’ Michigan, as well as other states including Minnesota and Virginia.

It comes after Governor Whitmer was on Tuesday forced to backtrack after she awarded a state contract to a Democratic consulting firm to track the spread of the coronavirus.

Her decision to award the contract to Great Lakes Community Engagement, a firm run by Mike Kolehouse, a Democratic political consultant who made unsavory comments about President Trump in recent weeks, drew immediate backlash.

The consultancy firm had planned to use software that is also used by a Democratic data firm that is working to help get the governor reelected.

The contract was worth $200,000 over an eight-week period, but Whitmer's administration has now admitted that it circumvented the process by which state contracts are normally awarded.

Republican's then weighed in and accused the governor of surreptitiously obtaining data that might be useful for her political campaign under the guise of a healthcare project.

She cancelled the contract and rescinded the funding abruptly after the backlash.

However, in a move that angered Michigan's more conservative corners, she said in a podcast interview that abortions should continue as the procedures are part of 'life-sustaining' health care for women

Pictures from the scene show people carrying American and state flags, with some holding 'Trump 2020' placards

The demonstration against Whitmer was dubbed 'operation Queen's castle', referencing Whitmer's perceived excessive implementation of the coronavirus lockdown measures

On a Facebook page about the protest, a message said they were protesting 'near the taxpayer-funded mansion to advocate re-opening Michigan NOW, as well as ask Whitmer why she does not follow her own order and 'Stay Home, Stay Safe?'. Pictured: One protester wears a Trump face mask as he joins demonstrations on Thursday

Governor Whitmer has been in the news on numerous occasions during the coronavirus crisis. Pictured: One protester carries an enormous US flag

Whitmer had told reporters of the lockdown extension, 'There will be a need for an extension of some sort.' Pictured: Protesters outside Whitmer's home

'This contract should have been approved by the State Emergency Operations Center,' a Whitmer spokesperson said to Fox News at the time.

'This issue is being corrected, and a different vendor and software platform will be selected by the SEOC. The state is committed to ensuring this important tracing work can begin quickly to help save lives, while also ensuring that public health data is safe and secure.'

However, according to Crain's Detroit, Great Lakes Community Engagement had already been working on the project for the past three weeks despite not being announced publicly.

Kolehouse wrote in a tweet regarding Trump in March: 'I hope he gets coronavirus ASAP. Can someone do the country a favor and cough on that man?'

As Michigan continues to face calls to lift lockdown restrictions, other states across the country are starting to partially reopen.

Alaska governor says some businesses can reopen TODAY as Tennessee prepares to open retail stores and restaurants next week

Alaska has become the latest US state to partially reopen by easing lockdown restrictions on businesses from today - despite the governor acknowledging there will be more coronavirus deaths.

Tennessee has also outlined its plan for reopening from April 27 and Montana committed to kickstarting the economy by May 4.

The states join Oklahoma, Colorado, Georgia, South Carolina and Texas in announcing partial reopenings amid the pandemic.

Alaska's Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy has given the green light for the limited reopening of restaurants, stores, hair and nail salons and other businesses starting Friday.

Under the new rules in some Alaska territories, restaurants will reopen but are limited to 25 percent capacity and there must be 10 feet between tables and only family members can be seated at the same table.

Salons in Alaska may only accept customers by appointment.

Gov Dunleavy has also lifted movement restrictions and is now allowing residents to leave town if they wish and can go out for drives.

Alaska's largest city, Anchorage, where some 40 percent of residents live, will not begin easing restrictions until Monday.

Alaska's governor acknowledged on Thursday that opening up the state economy could see the virus spread and result in more fatalities.

'Unfortunately, there will be deaths, as there have been with car accidents and cancers and strokes,' Gov Dunleavy said.

Alaska has become the latest US state to partially reopen by easing lockdown restrictions on businesses from today, while Tennessee has committed to reopening April 27 and Montana by May 4

THE US STATES REOPENING: Montana: From May 4 Tennessee: From April 27 Colorado: From April 27 Alaska: From April 24 Georgia: From April 24 Oklahoma: From April 24 South Carolina: From April 20 Texas: From April 20 Advertisement

Tennessee, which had already announced it would not be extending its stay-at-home order past April 30, has now laid out the state's plan for lifting restrictions.

Republican Gov. Bill Lee said businesses in most counties will be allowed to reopen as early as April 27.

Retail stores, which can reopen from April 29, and restaurants will operate with a 50 percent customer capacity. Many of Tennessee's 56 parks will open on Friday.

He said businesses could expect temperature checks, enforced mask wearing and social distancing.

Large cities including Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville can decide on their own when to reopen.

'We want to have the majority of businesses open before May 1,' Lee said.

Nashville could reopen in early May, provided certain benchmarks, including 14 days of an 'acceptably stable or sustained declining trend,' are met.

Similar easing measures in Nashville, as in other Tennessee counties are to be expected, as well as workers wearing face masks and enduring daily screenings. Bars will stay closed.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper, a Democrat, said if infections start to flare up again restrictions will be reintroduced.

'Our obligation is, if the data permits, to get restarted as safely as possible with a phased approach so that we're able to hopefully go forward, continue to go forward, but if we have to go back, we will go back if there's a relapse in the disease,' he said.

Meanwhile, Montana's Democratic Governor Steve Bullock has announced it will start easing restrictions from May 4.

Churches can hold services from this Sunday, while restaurants, bars and casinos can reopen on May 4 with reduced capacity and hours.

Schools have the option to return to in-classroom instruction May 7.