By Brian Stone – Yemeni American News
DEARBORN, Mich. – Mayoral Candidate James Parrelly wants to replace the Governor’s current pathway to re-opening businesses at 65% vaccination with his own plan.
The proposal, which was put out in a video by the Parrelly campaign, would recommend that certain businesses in Dearborn be allowed to operate at full capacity so long as they prevented non-vaccinated customers from coming in and asked for customer’s vaccine cards before allowing entry.
When asked which businesses this would apply to, Parrelly admitted he hadn’t thought it through.
“Before I did the video I didn’t go through a litany of businesses that may or may not [be included],” said Parrelly. “My pro-business solution is to offer up this solution. The businesses that are willing to do that should be allowed to open.”
When asked if Parrelly consulted any public health professionals or experts before putting out the proposal, he said, “No.”
Asked whether this would apply to gyms, Parrelly said, “Gyms – I don’t know about gyms – I mean, yeah, if you open it up 100%, you’ve got to have some way to protect public health and be pro business.”
Asked whether this would apply to retail stores, Parrelly said, “It would – uh – I think not necessarily apply to retail. A retail place – I mean, that’s a grocery store, isn’t it?” said Parrelly. “I’m just trying to come up with a pro-business solution that would help restaurants and other businesses that might have been impacted over the last 15 months, rather than waiting for the state as a whole to reach those levels.”
Parrelly said he was skeptical that Governor Whitmer’s goal of 65% vaccinations for re-opening business would ever be reached.
“Will they ever reach those levels, though? She thought the first level could be reached by the end of May. She used the words ‘maybe, perhaps.’ But if we’re sitting here in October or September and we haven’t reached those levels – Don’t you think what I’m proposing would encourage people to get vaccinated?” said Parrelly.
Parrelly confirmed that his plan hinges on businesses carding people for their vaccination records and rejecting them at restaurants, coffee shops and banquet halls – but the plan did not include music venues, because he felt music venues with thousands of people would be too dangerous to open.
Parrelly wanted to make it clear that he supports people getting vaccinated and that both he and his wife are vaccinated.
“I’m offering what I think is a pro-business solution,” said Parrelly. “If business doesn’t want to follow, they can go forward with the limits the governor’s put forth.”
YAN asked Parrelly what he thought about people who might perceive this as an invasion of their privacy, or a form of ‘vaccine passport.’
“That could be a problem, that could be a criticism – freedom of choice, that’s a thing. I get it. I understand. We’re in a pandemic. I don’t know how to split the difference to come up with a solution,” said Parrelly.
Asked whether he thought that he could assist with the Governor’s 65% vaccination goal using softer methods, such as having doctors and public health experts communicate the benefits of vaccination to the public, Parrelly said he was open to that as well, but was skeptical the state would ever reach 65% vaccination.
Previously, Parrelly had said on Facebook that he disagreed with the Governor’s proposals on principle.
“I am not in step with the state on most of these mandates, today our Governor linked our civil freedoms to vaccination requirements. I think it’s dangerous and boarder line [sic] illegal to tie civil freedoms to vaccination requirements,” said Parrelly, in response to a question from a resident.
