The nationwide surge in cases of the Covid-19 virus continues to plague most of the United States and Michigan’s death toll continues to climb.
However, the irony is that Michigan’s infection rate has been going down steadily for more than six weeks, especially since the state health department’s shutdown of in-person high school instruction and meetings of more than a dozen people indoors.
The infection rate has dipped below 8 percent, and the case numbers over seven-day average have plummeted, but deaths still are increasing.
Allegan County Monday reported 73 deaths since the pandemic began last March, seven more than it noted on Dec. 29, with the gap coming because of the New Year’s holiday. There were 150 hospitalized and a total of 5,931 cases, but the increase over the past week have been moderate.
Those reported as having recovered from the disease now number 4,665.
Michigan’s death toll now is approaching 13,000 as of Monday
Schools in Allegan County continue to receive the health department’s grade of “D,” which is one step above recommendation for all virtual learning. Wayland and Hopkins returned Monday, Jan. 4, to hybrid sessions in which half the student population will be in classrooms physically Mondays and Thursdays, the other half Tuesdays and Fridays.
Wednesdays are reserved for all virtual instruction and special sessions for those in need of catching up.
Martin schools are resuming classroom instruction five days per week.
Please be aware that Plainwell Schools will remain on a hybrid/remote schedule and is not currently planning to return to 5 days a week of in person learning due to continuing concerns about COVID-19.
Good for them. This hybrid model isn’t doing anyone any good, and virtual is even worse.
It is time to open schools, teachers get over your fears and get back to work or another year will be lost. Being isolated is not a good thing nor has the shutdown and virtual learing done anything to stop the spread of the virus. 99.97% of the people contracting it survive. Get back to work, mask up, social distance – get on with life!
Sir,
I have the honor to call several area educators my friends. I want you to know how hard this year is on them. They want, more than my words can express, to have their students in the classroom. Many people are under the mistaken idea that teachers like having students at home and teaching them via a virtual format. Before you fall prey to this idea please talk to an educator. Listen as they explain the challenges they face as they try their best to reach their students. I believe most teachers genuinely desire students in the classroom 5 days a week. Unfortunately the choice is not solely up to our educators. I ask you to stop spreading the untruth that teachers do not want to do their jobs. My amazing friends want nothing more than to teach our kids in their classrooms. Please reach out, ask a teacher how they feel. I think you may gain some education on this matter.
Give teachers the vaccine and then some might get over their fears. Are you crazy. I’d be very careful picking on teachers. They are doing the best they can with the technology they have access too. Maybe some folks will now realize what teachers do in a (normal) times. this covid is very contagious and why should teachers be the guinea pigs going back to work. I taught for 34 years and it’s hard to social distance in a room of 35 kids and not all wearing masks. Let’s hope folks will get the vaccine wen offered until then dont pick on getting schools back in session full time.
Obviously Tread you have not lost a loved one to Covid. You simply assign numbers to people. Just like your idol,Trump, the solution to Covid is open everything up.