(WXYZ) — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has issued an Emergency Order requiring K-12 school to provide public notice of any probable or confirmed COVID-19 cases within 24 hours.
Under the order, local health departments must notify schools within 24 hours of learning about a probable or confirmed case associated with the school. Once the notification is made, the school must provide public notification on a highly visible location on the school's website that covers the impacted building or location within 24 hours.
The local health departments will also provide direct notification to anyone who is, or is suspected to have been, in close contact with a school-associated case.
Schools are also encouraged to provide information about measures they've put into place to prevent transmission of COVID-19, as well as measures that individuals can take to prevent transmission.
“Recent outbreaks throughout the country demonstrate that COVID-19 can spread quickly in the school setting,” said Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Director Robert Gordon in a news release. “Timely communication from schools to parents, guardians, students, teachers, staff and other persons affiliated with schools enables members of the school community to take measures to prevent spread of the virus.”
The order goes into effect on Monday, October 12.
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
Click here for a page with resources including a COVID-19 overview from the CDC, details on cases in Michigan, a timeline of Governor Gretchen Whitmer's orders since the outbreak, coronavirus' impact on Southeast Michigan, and links to more information from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC and the WHO.
View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.
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