White House coronavirus adviser calls on Michigan residents to 'rise up' against lockdown restrictions

A White House coronavirus adviser has urged residents in the state of Michigan to "rise up" against measures introduced to curb the coronavirus as infections soar across the country.

"The only way this stops is if people rise up," Scott Atlas said on Twitter yesterday. "You get what you accept. #FreedomMatters #StepUp."

Michigan joined Washington State on Sunday in imposing a slew of new restrictions on gatherings, including halting indoor dining service.

The United States surpassed 11 million coronavirus cases that same day, adding one million new cases in less than a week in a new record.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer also ordered a ban on in-person high school and college classes for three weeks starting on Wednesday.

She banned public events at concert halls, casinos, movie theaters, skating rinks and other venues, while in-home gatherings will be limited to 10 people from no more than two households.

Ms Whitmer, a Democrat, warned that without aggressive action, Michigan could soon suffer 1,000 Covid-19 deaths per week.

"We are in the worst moment of this pandemic to date," she told a news conference. "The situation has never been more dire. We are at the precipice and we need to take some action."

Responding to Mr Atlas’ tweet, Ms Whitmer said she is guided by people who have “actually have studied and are well respected worldwide on these issues”, not those doing the “President's bidding”.

“I'm not going to be bullied into not following reputable scientists and medical professionals,” she told CNN.

Washington state Governor Jay Inslee, also a Democrat, announced a one-month ban on indoor services at restaurants and gyms, and a reduction of in-store retail capacity to 25 per cent.

Indoor gatherings would be prohibited outside of one's household and outdoor gatherings would be limited to five people in Washington state under Mr Inslee's order.

The new restrictions come as daily new infections in recent days have more than doubled from single-day highs reported during the previous US peak in mid-July. The number of Covid-19 patients in US hospitals also has reached an all-time high.