ALLEGAN COUNTY, Mich. — The Allegan County Health Department (ACHD) announced changes to their COVID-19 guidance in response to recent COVID monitoring changes by the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
In late February, the CDC revised how they monitor the level of COVID-19 in communities to focus on preventing hospitals and healthcare systems from being overwhelmed.
Allegan County has been placed in the "Low" category of COVID-19 community levels by the CDC, which changes the recommendations for COVID protocols.
For counties in the "Low" category, the CDC no longer recommends universal indoor mask wearing, nor does it require that people wear masks on buses or vans operated by public or private school systems.
ACHD says that it is focused on case investigation, contact tracing in high risk settings and identifying outbreaks and clusters of infection.
The ACHD also released the following recommendations for the community:
- Individuals stay up to date with their vaccines, use at-home testing kits or find a testing site, and stay home if they are sick.
- Businesses, schools and other organizations should continue to ensure increased ventilation and enhanced cleaning measures, and social distancing when possible. This help mitigate other communicable diseases, including COVID-19 to keep our community healthy.
- All individuals, regardless of vaccination status, should wear a mask during isolation and quarantine periods.
- Individuals with COVID-19 should isolate away from others, and notify people who may be a close contact of a potential exposure so they can follow CDC guidance.
- Individuals who feel sick, may be at high risk of infection or who feel better protected when masked should choose to wear a mask to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Making personal decisions about mask use in certain settings, as it is an important tool in mitigating the spread of COVID-19.
For more information on COVID-19 guidance and policy at the county, state and national levels, visit AlleganCounty.org/COVID, Michigan.gov/Coronavirus or CDC.gov/Coronavirus.
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