This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed by electron microscope. A novel coronavirus, named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China in 2019. The illness caused by this virus has been named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Alissa Eckert, MS; Dan Higgins, MAMS
—A “cautious optimism” is what Ingham County Health Director Linda Vail offered as East Lansing prepares for loosened COVID restrictions.
In the latest epidemic order issued Jan. 22, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) allowed for bars and restaurants to reopen dining at 25% capacity, effective Feb. 1. Vail said that doing so is necessary to pull the industry out of economic crisis.
“We certainly hope we can get our restaurant, bar and hospitality industry out of the severe economic crisis that they have been in, so I want to be cautiously optimistic about that because it’s important, it really is very important,” Vail said. “There’s been a balance of that importance vs. cases.”
East Lansing Public Schools (ELPS) are also slated to open by March 1, and although Vail supports the re-openings, she’s keeping an eye open with suspicion.
“Concerned? Yes,” Vail said. “Going to have our eye on it? Yes, and also cautiously optimistic that we can move forward.”
Vail also said that it’s not recommended to eat indoors and reminded that when bars and restaurants first opened back up in June, it didn’t go well. More enforcements are required under the new order.
The enforcements are as follows:
For local restaurant and bar owners, the new order is a sigh of relief as the industry has taken a considerable hit. In East Lansing, restaurants have had to permanently close, such as Blaze, Quality Dairy and Espresso Royale.
Furthermore, on Jan. 25, the ELPS board voted 6-1 to bring in-person classes back for its over 3,500 students. Pre-K through 5th grade classes will resume on Feb. 22, while grades 6-12 will be brought back on March 1.
As part of Executive Order 2020-142, ELPS had to make a COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan, in which they laid out how to cope with COVID-19 in preparation for the return to school last fall. In the plan, strict social distancing and masking guidelines were laid out.
ELPS will still offer a remote learning option for those who are uncomfortable sending their students back to class.
Loosened restrictions come at a time when vaccine distribution is slow and a more transmissible variant of COVID-19 has started to spread throughout southern Michigan.
As of Jan. 27, the COVID-19 pandemic has killed 243 people in Ingham County and over 14,200 have contracted the virus.
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