 Jo-Ann defended themselves in a statement by claiming that their free mask kits helped local hospitals, which allowed the stores to be considered "essential business,"  despite many hospitals rejecting homemade masks.Michigan's governor, Gretchen Whitmer, forced stores to close down in the state after Jo-Ann sent a letter requesting to not be included in stay-at-home orders.Whitmer stressed that the same materials used to create masks are able to be sold online without in-person contact.