ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Washtenaw County Health Department has issued a public health emergency stay-in-place order for undergraduate students at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
The department announced today that the order is effective immediately and will continue through Nov. 3 at 7 a.m. In a news release, the department said COVID-19 cases among U-M students make up 60% of local cases and are increasing.
“The situation locally has become critical, and this order is necessary to reverse the current increase in cases,” said Jimena Loveluck, health officer for Washtenaw County. “We must continue to do what we can to minimize the impact on the broader community and to ensure we have the public health capacity to fully investigate cases and prevent additional spread of illness.”
It is the hope of the department that the order will limit socializing among students, slow down cases and allow for effective contact tracing.
Under the new order, undergraduates must stay in their residence unless attending class, using dining services or carrying out approved work that can’t be done remotely. Violators of the order are subject to citations and penalties, according to the health department.
“The university has been working closely with the Health Department all along in response to the pandemic and supports this decision to issue this stay at home order,” said Robert Ernst, executive director of U-M’s University Health Service and associate vice president for Student Life. “This action is intended to reduce the strain on our capacities for contact tracing and quarantine and isolation housing. Many individuals and off-campus residences are cooperating fully, and we hope this additional guidance on limiting social activities reverses the trend of increased cases related to social gatherings.”
While the order lasts for 14 days, the health department said the stay-in-place order is not the same as a quarantine. During the order, official and essential activities are permitted when carried out using COVID-19 prevention methods. This includes wearing face coverings, social distancing and frequent hand cleaning.
As of Oct. 19, Washtenaw County has reported 4,229 confirmed cases of COVID-19. However, in the past week, more than 600 confirmed and probable cases have been reported in the county, and 61% of those cases are connected to U-M students, according to the health department.
The full stay-in-place order can be seen here.
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