Rapid testing required for high school athletes April 2nd

During a Friday morning press conference, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Health and Human Services Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said that they could confirm COVID-19 outbreaks tied to high school athletic events. Khaldun announced a new Epidemic Order from her department.

The order stops short of restricting the number of contests. In other athletic venues, restrictions were dramatically loosened. Outdoor stadiums had previously been capped at 1,000 people regarding capacity. That has been adjusted to 20 percent. Comerica Park’s stated capacity is over 41,000, meaning that it is now possible to allow over 8,000 people through turnstiles for Opening Day.

Whitmer and Khaldun acknowledged that the recent spike in cases has not brought with it a surge in deaths, even though the trend dates back four weeks to February. They said that was related to the demographic differences between today and past outbreaks. Vaccinations have been robust in older segments of the population and children up to those age 19 have had more cases than those above 65.

Whitmer refused to answer whether her nursing home policy had resulted in any deaths from residents who were not sick, but contracted the disease from an infected person being transferred in.