LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer extended Michigan’s state of emergency Tuesday, continuing a declaration that is the basis for various orders designed to fight the coronavirus.

While the emergency had been scheduled to expire Thursday, the governor had been expected to continue it. The declaration, which she has lengthened many times, will now run through Oct. 27.

In her order, the Democratic governor said the health, economic and social harms of the COVID-19 pandemic remain ìwidespread and severe.” State emergency operations are necessary to bring the virus outbreak under control, she said.

The emergency — first declared in March — is the underpinning for Whitmer’s restrictions on business operations and gathering sizes along with a requirement to wear a mask in enclosed public spaces and crowded outdoor places.