Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) listens to debate as the House Oversight and Reform Committee considers whether to hold Attorney General William P. Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt for failing to turn over subpoenaed documents related to the Trump administration's decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census, on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 12, 2019. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

On Thursday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) extended a statewide “stay at home order” to April 30 while also enacting more restrictions to help limit the spread of covid-19 in a state with one of the highest case totals in the nation.

The decision quickly drew criticism from GOP lawmakers in the state, including Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey (R), who wants some businesses to reopen and on Facebook blasted Whitmer’s measures as “DESTROYING OUR HEALTH BY KILLING OUR LIVELIHOODS.” U.S. Rep. Justin Amash (Mich.), an independent, joined in the criticism Saturday in a lengthy Twitter thread.

“As a federal official, I do my best to stay out of state politics. But I have a constitutional duty to ensure states don’t trample on the rights of the people,” Amash wrote.

Amash argued that “sensible instructions” to socially distance, wear masks and stay at home are enough to halt the spread of the coronavirus. But he wrote that there is “no compelling case for banning bicycle repair shops or landscaping services, or for prohibiting open retailers from selling items related to home and garden maintenance.”

He further argued that people will push back on these “extraordinary restrictions on liberty,” and that by not allowing people in stores, Whitmer may inadvertently force people to stand close together in lines, thus violating best practices for social distancing.

Similar debates are playing out around the country as officials grapple with how and when to ease off restrictions that have devastated the economy and led to millions filing for unemployment each week.

Announcing her new statewide measures in a news conference Thursday, Whitmer said that most Michiganders “are doing their part by staying home and staying safe."

“That’s good, but we must keep it up,” she said. “When we do, we can save lives and shorten the amount of time we’re working through this crisis.”

As of Saturday afternoon, Michigan’s confirmed coronavirus cases were nearing 24,000, and the death toll was up to 1,392. Detroit has been hit especially hard.