DETROIT – With an uptick of coronavirus cases across the state, there’s concern about outbreaks developing in schools.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services requires K-12 schools to report new cases within 24 hours, according to an emergency order that went into effect last Monday.
Twenty-six schools across the state reported new outbreaks. The highest is 21 cases at Kalamazoo College.
The state considers an outbreak as two or more cases at a school, where infected people may have had shared exposure on school grounds and are from different households.
More than 80 schools across the state are dealing with ongoing outbreaks.
“This virus is still a very real threat all across the state of Michigan. If we drop our guard, we’re going to see a community spread, and we’re already seeing that a bit,” said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Michigan has topped 136,000.
More than 6,800 people have died, and more than 104,000 have recovered.
Monday’s two-day total was 1,809 cases and seven deaths, making the seven-day average the highest since early April.
For the first time since late July, Michigan’s risk level for an outbreak was upgraded from medium to high risk.
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