Western UP Health Department provides decision-making guidance to school administrators

HANCOCK -- The Western Upper Peninsula Health Department (WUPHD) provides additional details on how they are working with the Copper Country Immediate School District (CCISD) and the Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School District (GOISD) to ensure the safety of children as they return to school.

"One of our greatest challenges during this pandemic is the safe return of children and teachers to school this fall," said Kate Beer, Health Officer at WUPHD. "Working with our school partners, we are developing a framework for making decisions on conditions that would trigger a reduction of in-person classes or a transition to virtual classes. The end goal is to ensure that all children receive a safe, equitable education during these unprecedented times."

The WUPHD will utilize the State of Michigan’s MI Safe Start Map, found at www.mistartmap.info, as their primary source for statistics relating to the safe re-opening of schools. This state website provides the most up to date information available on county and regional case counts and testing levels. These statistics will help determine the COVID-19 risk level in a community.

"The state map is a starting point," said Beer. "Information regarding local outbreaks will also play an important role in the decision making process. We will need to weigh community outbreaks differently than facility outbreaks, for example."