Masks are required at all times on UM’s campus. Torrence Williams | Washtenaw Voice
By Cydney Heed
Staff Writer
Undergraduate students at the University of Michigan have been placed under a “stay in place” order following a surge in COVID-19 cases.
The order was issued by the Washtenaw County Health Department in response to a surge in cases taking place primarily among U of M students.
“Humans are social creatures and we would all like to be able to socialize. And actually the ultimate goal of a stay in place order is to allow us to socialize sooner rather than later,” said Ruth Kraut, deputy health officer at the Washtenaw County Health Department.
According to the order, U of M currently accounts for about 61% of COVID-19 cases in Washtenaw County. In August, only about 2% of local cases came from the university.
“In the last week we had over 600 cases. So that’s a much higher number than we were seeing three weeks ago,” Kraut said.
More than 1,000 COVID-19 cases among students have been confirmed since the beginning of the fall semester, according to the order.
Kraut said that most of the surge in cases can be linked to social gatherings.
“Well, obviously it’s getting colder. So people are less willing to hang out outside. And so that’s one thing–indoor gatherings are riskier than outdoor gatherings,” Kraut said.
While the order is in effect, students are only permitted to leave their residence for a few specific reasons.
The order states: “Under no circumstance are visitors permitted in on- or off-campus housing for the duration of this order.”
Students can attend in-person classes, go to work if it can’t be done remotely, go to the doctor, vote in person, and exercise outdoors in groups of two or less, among other exceptions.
Kraut expressed concern that students from other local colleges could also fall prey to the virus, saying, “I know most of the classes are remote, but just because you’re not U of M students doesn’t mean that the virus would not cheat you exactly the same way.”
She continued, “So even if you are a WCC student or an EMU student, we really want you to focus on not having those big parties, not gathering in big groups.”
As of Oct. 27, Washtenaw has had two COVID cases, both attributed to staff members.
