Houghton County Board Urges COVID Compliance

At its special budget meeting earlier this week, the Houghton County Board of Commissioners encouraged residents to do their part to help control the pandemic.

The board’s resolution noted that prevention methods such as mask wearing, social distancing and handwashing are simple, cheap, and effective.

It acknowledges that most residents are complying, but that a small minority of people continue to refuse, despite the risk to themselves and others. It chastises those who are not cooperating with contact tracers, and warns that the economic impact we’ve experienced so far will pale in comparison if the state needs to implement a second wave of shutdowns.

The resolution encourages residents to adhere to all public health guidelines, and cooperate with contact tracers.

Here is the entire resolution:

WHEREAS, the Board of Commissioners of Houghton County, Michigan, does hereby find as follows:

WHEREAS, the County of Houghton has seen a significant increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the preceding two weeks, with an infectivity rate nearly 50%-100% HIGHER than Wayne County, Kent County, or Oakland County at the PEAK of their respective outbreaks; 

WHEREAS, the simple, cheap, and effective methods to slow the spread of COVID-19 are readily known and available, such as wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, frequent hand washing, and limiting gathering sizes indoors and outdoors;

WHEREAS, some members of the Community have practiced good prevention methods, while a small minority of people continue to refuse, despite the risk to themselves and others;

WHEREAS, efforts to trace the contacts of people who have tested POSITIVE for COVID-19 are being hampered by some Residents’ refusals to disclose who they may have spread the virus to, causing FURTHER SPREAD of the virus;

WHEREAS, the impact to the local economy due to COVID-19 so far will PALE IN COMPARISON to a second wave of shutdowns by the State of Michigan, should the caseload in Houghton County not be brought under control by its OWN RESIDENTS;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Commissioners of the County of Houghton, Michigan, that the Board of Commissioners REQUESTS that ALL members of the Community in the County of Houghton CONTINUE to practice, and INCREASE their adherence to, the public health guidelines for MASK WEARING, SOCIAL DISTANCING, FREQUENT HAND WASHING, and LIMITED GATHERINGS to reduce the continued spread of COVID-19 in Houghton County. And FURTHER, REQUEST that ALL members of the Community COOPERATE with contact tracing efforts to arrest the spread of COVID-19. 

IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED that the ONLY way through this pandemic will be for the WHOLE COUNTY to ACTIVELY WORK to keep themselves, their friends, and their family safe. 

Dated: September 29, 2020

Albert Koskeka
Chairman
Houghton County Board of Commissioners