LANSING, Mich (AP) — Water shutoffs will be banned through March under legislation signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Whitmer had issued an executive order earlier this year that protected people from having their water turned off for non-payment. But the protection was thrown out when the Michigan Supreme Court said the governor had used an unconstitutional law as the foundation for dozens of her coronavirus orders.

“Every Michigander deserves access to clean water, especially during a global pandemic,” Whitmer said in a written statement. “My administration will continue working to ensure clean water for all Michiganders, and I look forward to partnering with everyone who wants to get this done.”

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, pushed for the legislation to allow a “human right” of water despite economic hardships that have hit Michigan during the pandemic. Detroit announced in early December that it would halt water shutoffs through 2022.

“So many Michigan families are struggling, and with COVID-19 still raging, we need to ensure that we are protecting Michigan families’ health and economic security,” Chang said.

In a year-end video conference Tuesday, Whitmer said “politics has permeated” the coronavirus fight and made it harder to protect the public.

“I think in any time, a governor, their first and foremost job is to keep the people of their state safe, and we’ve done well on that count, considering all of the challenges that we’ve had,” Whitmer said.

“National experts are pointing to what we’re doing in Michigan, other states are following our lead because we’re following the science and we’re being strategic about how we address the spread that’s happening,” she said.

Michigan has struggled to keep COVID-19 numbers down, ranking high during much of the pandemic in infection cases and deaths, which now exceed 11,700. But the governor said statewide restrictions have allowed Michigan to start reducing the spread, especially avoiding a post-Thanksgiving surge.

President Donald Trump throughout the pandemic has publicly insulted Whitmer, calling her a dictator. In October, six people were charged in federal court in an alleged plot to kidnap her due to outrage over her COVID-19 policies. Eight people have been charged in state court with assisting them.

“My life and my family’s lives were threatened frequently, in a very serious manner that got international headlines, and I’ve asked our leaders on the other side of the aisle to help bring the heat down, and they didn’t so I’m going to continue to stay focused on my job and do everything that I can to get our state through this tough time,” Whitmer said.

Anna Liz Nichols is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative.