ANN ARBOR – Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced late Tuesday night that the state has confirmed its first two cases of coronavirus in Wayne and Oakland counties.
UPDATE: University of Michigan cancels in-person classes, events amid coronavirus outbreak
Described as “middle-aged,” the affected patients, a male and female, had traveled both internationally and domestically prior to testing positive for the novel COVID-19 virus. Whitmer declared a state of emergency and said state officials were waiting on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to confirm the cases.
For now, classes at the University of Michigan will continue as scheduled.
However, concerned students have started a petition to move classes online like many universities across the country, including Ohio State and Harvard.
Read: Michigan confirms first 2 cases of coronavirus, both in Metro Detroit
The petition had more than 7,000 signatures on Wednesday morning and states:
Many universities - including the University of Michigan Ann Arbor - are set up such that infectious diseases spread incredibly quickly. Students share dormitories, communal bathrooms, tightly packed lecture halls, dining halls - essentially everything. And now that Spring Break has ended, almost 50,000 students who’ve been to many corners of the country and the world are all congregating once again in close quarters with their peers. This is the perfect environment for an infectious and dangerous disease to spread.
This is a plea for the University of Michigan to move classes online now.
Meanwhile, Michigan State University announced Wednesday it will move classes online until April 20 after it discovered a probable case linked to campus.
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Destination Ann Arbor canceled its Annual Meeting on Wednesday set to be held on U-M’s campus at the Jack Roth Stadium Club at Michigan Stadium.
“We greatly apologize for the very last minute notice but after talks this morning with public officials close to the coronavirus situation, it was recommended that we postpone our Annual Meeting at this time,” read an email sent out by the organization.
Students who traveled to CDC Warning Level 3 countries including China, South Korea, Italy and Iran were asked to self-quarantine following spring break.
U-M has asked all students, faculty and staff to stay home if they are feeling ill and professors have been asked to accommodate students missing class.
For more information and the latest news, visit Local 4′s coronavirus page.