Media promotes the unsafe reopening of Ann Arbor schools and the University of Michigan
In the midst of a county-issued stay-at-home recommendation for students at the University of Michigan (UMich)—the second of its kind since the fall—as well as the recent state-mandated shutdown of the school’s Athletics Department, multiple local publications and corporate advocacy groups are aggressively pushing for the resumption of in-person learning as well as non-essential educational services in the Ann Arbor area.
The purpose of the Washtenaw County Health Department’s (WCHD) recommendation, which was issued on January 27, was to “slow the spread of COVID-19, including the more easily transmitted B.1.1.7. variant.” As of Friday, 28 cases of the more contagious B.1.1.7 variant were identified in Washtenaw County and nearby Wayne County. The origin of the spread was traced to individuals associated with the university’s athletic department. An MLive.com report from Sunday confirms that the variant has now also been found in surrounding Kent County, Michigan.