Michigan's COVID Response (or Lack Thereof)

[sushiritto]

@nmcorm

@sushiritto

@nmcorm

You did a lot of research, but you missed this from the same article you quoted:

“Washtenaw County Health Department data indicates that UM-related cases now account for 61% of the county’s COVID-19 cases”

Michigan brought back students, which I applaud. I have kids in other schools and they are also benefiting from being back on their respective campuses, which is wonderful. Check.

What Michigan did not do is have a proper and well executed test and response plan. The school invites students back, so it’s on the school to prepare. That is NOT on the students. If there are student violations, and there always will be some, the school can threaten disciplinary action. That fixes that problem. The contrast with my kids schools is stark. I am very surprised, given that they should have the brain power, the infrastructure (labs and on campus medical school and hospital) and the money from out of state tuition dollars and a huge endowment. I had assumed that they had a great on campus testing plan, until I saw the urgent care parking lot crowd… Big negative-check.

On that basis, your comparison with Grand Valley State (GVS?) is meaningless. Michigan State went fully remote and minimal dorm residency, to the consternation of parents, but it was probably the right decision. The early cases were off campus students who returned but things have since calmed down.

I gather you don’t live here. Locals are worried about access to medical care and we have to work, live and shop here. Let’s hope that the county’s actions will get things back under control. I have no faith that the university is acting in in the best interests of anyone other than, maybe, their administration and Jim Harbaugh.

We’ll all get through this, but the process of how we do so is important.

I read that, but you need to read the quote I pulled. They obviously conflict. As of the writing of this article, 1,000 UM related cases of the 4,000+ cases in Washtenaw. Period. Full stop.

No I don’t live in A2. Nice place, but I wouldn’t want live there. I live in the SF Bay Area.

My D18 goes to school there. She’s sheltered-in-place in her off campus apartment the entire semester. All distance learning the entire semester. She can get a Covid test anytime. We get UM Covid updates at least 1x week, as parents. Is UM perfect, nope.

But, to the people of Washtenaw…wear mask, social distance, wash your hands, sanitize everything, etc. You can’t account for people who don’t want to follow the friggin’ guidelines. It’s a college town. If you or anyone else is worried, then move.

My CA community near a couple universities is following the rules and I go about my daily business including spending 2 hours in the gym 5-6 days/week. Thankfully I’m fine. My point? It’s not just the students and UM’s responsibility, but it’s everyone in your county.

Nice to see that at least some U of M alumni are completely aligned with the administration in their disinterest in the fate of the locals. Life in sunny California with those Maize and Blue sunglasses must be good.

First, I’m not an alum.

Second, your fate is in your own hands. Wear a mask, socially distance and wash and/or sanitize your hands. It’s not complicated. The risk of transmission is small.

We’ve been following these simple guidelines in my CA county for a very long time.

I went for a run on the trail today. Nearly all wore masks, even outside with no crowds.