Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order Wednesday aimed at protecting residents and staff at long-term care facilities amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Facilities must report all presumed positive COVID-19 cases to the state health department and keep up-to-date information on available personal protective equipment, the order says. It also provides protection for residents from eviction and says employees who test positive or have symptoms of the virus should stay home — and not be fired, disciplined or retaliated against by their employer.

“At Michigan’s long-term care facilities, residents and employees live and work in very confined areas, and the lack of personal protection equipment makes it difficult to engage in precautionary measures recommended by the CDC," Whitmer said during a news conference Wednesday. "The executive order that I signed protects residents from being evicted and protects employees' right to stay home to mitigate the risk of infecting others.”

A Detroit Free Press investigation published Sunday found that there have been hundreds of confirmed coronavirus cases among residents and staff and dozens of deaths linked to nursing homes in Michigan. No statewide information on nursing home cases has been available so far. On Monday, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive for the state health department, said to expect data in the upcoming week.

In Detroit, Mayor Mike Duggan said the city has performed 420 quick tests for COVID-19 at nursing homes and 35% of those tested have come back positive.

“We have a crisis in the nursing homes. I know it’s true around the country," he said at a news conference Wednesday. "We’re going to test another 2,000 folks over the next week or so."

The city has dramatically increased nursing home testing in recent days and the results are disturbing, Duggan said.

"It continues to be a source of real concern and I’m going to start dealing with some of these nursing home directors myself if we don’t see a significant commitment in keeping these patients well," he said.

Whitmer's order says long-term care facilities include nursing homes, homes for the aged, adult foster care facilities and assisted living facilities.

“If a resident is known to display COVID-19 symptoms, a long-term care facility will be required to inform both employees and residents, and take additional precautions as outlined in the order,” a news release from governor's office said. “To slow the spread of COVID-19, the order requires nursing homes to have separate units for residents who test positive for COVID-19 or are experiencing symptoms, supplied with appropriate (personal protective equipment).”

The state health department will work with long-term care facilities across Michigan to establish COVID-19-designated regional hubs to treat patients with increased needs, the release said.

The executive order says employees must be informed of a COVID-19-affected resident "as soon as reasonably possible, but no later than 12 hours after identification." Facilities must tell their local health department within 24 hours of identification about any resident with the coronavirus.

“This is a really hard time from Michigan’s older residents and their families," Whitmer said.

She said people in Michigan are concerned for their older relatives and loves ones working in long-term facilities.

"Due to the nature of the care provided in these facilities and the vulnerable status of their residents, multiple positive test results of COVID-19 threaten the safety of the entire facility," according to the news release. "The governor’s executive order is aimed at protecting both residents and staff in those facilities from the spread of COVID-19."

Contact Elisha Anderson: eanderson@freepress.com. Contact Gina Kaufman: gkaufman@freepress.com