Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By RICHARD JENKINS
Hurley — The health departments in both Iron County and the Western Upper Peninsula continue to work with local school districts as they start the school year in the midst of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“You, your children and our schools are preparing for a very different start to the school year. Positive cases continue to rise and the COVID-19 virus remains active in Iron County,” an Iron County Health Department spokesperson said in a news release Thursday. “Regardless of whether your child is returning to school in person or virtually, this school year is sure to be filled with many challenges.”
It is important that the return to school isn’t viewed as a return to normal, health department officials said, and warned that people need to remain vigilant by practicing social distancing, wearing masks and hand-washing. The department continues to recommend against mass gatherings — including birthday parties, weddings, funerals and other celebrations.
Iron County reported a total of 119 residents who have been positive for COVID-19, as of Thursday, with 97 of those cases considered recovered.
One of the cases in the last week has required hospitalization, according to health department data, bringing the total number of hospitalizations to four.
Department officials recognize that people likely will still have more questions about school during the pandemic, but offered reassurance that there was help answering these questions.
“We know you are busy and probably overwhelmed as you prepare for the first days of school. We know you have questions about learning, childcare, working from home, lessons, face coverings, emotional health and so much more,” the department said. “Contact your school administrators, teachers or Iron County Health Department if you have unanswered concerns.”
Parents are also recommended to plan for positive cases and know who to contact in their school districts if their child get sick and have a plan for what do if that occurs.
The Iron County Health Department has also released additional information regarding cases in the county.
As of Thursday, 84 of the 119 cases have been people who are below the age of 60, with another 24 cases between the ages of 60 and 69.
This week also marked the second consecutive week of more than 10 cases in the county, and the fifth week with more than that number since the virus was first detected locally in March.
As of Thursday, the department reported 20 cases this week, with another 21 cases the week of Aug. 17-23. The other three weeks with double-digit case counts were July 6-12 with 15 cases, July 13-20 with 14 cases and July 20-26 with 31 cases.
Fifty-nine of the county’s cases have been in the census tract covering much of southern Iron County, another 37 cases have been in the census tract containing the cities of Hurley and Montreal and the town of Pence, and 23 cases have been in the census tract for northwest Iron County.
Western U.P.
The Western U.P. Health Department is also working with school officials in the five counties it serves to prepare for the challenges of the school year.
“One of our greatest challenges during this pandemic is the safe return of children and teachers to school this fall,” Kate Beer, the department’s health officer, said. “Working with our school partners, we are developing a framework for making decisions on conditions that would trigger a reduction of in-person classes or a transition to virtual classes. The end goal is to ensure that all children receive a safe, equitable education during these unprecedented times.”
The department plans to use Michigan’s MI Safe Start Map as the primary source for statistics relating to the safe reopening of schools, according to department officials, and the statistics on the site will help determine the risk level in a community.”
Gogebic County has had a total of 132 positive cases and an additional 10 probables, as of Thursday, according to WUPHD data. Ninety of the cases are considered recovered.
Ontonagon County has had 33 positive cases and one probable, as of Thursday. The five-county region that also includes Baraga, Houghton and Keweenaw counties has had a total of 226 positive cases and an additional 22 probables.
Health officials continue to urge people to take precautions against the spread of the virus, including wearing masks, as well as staying home and limiting travel as much as possible.
