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MSU Community Hit with Two More COVID-19 Cases

Above: MSU President Sam Stanley in a photo from MSU

MSU President Sam Stanley announced late in the day on Thursday that two cases of COVID-19 have affected the MSU community. These are in addition to the MSU-related case announced on March 14.

In today’s announcement, Stanley stated, “I was informed today from the Ingham County Health Department about two confirmed cases of novel coronavirus connected to our university. Both individuals are being treated, and neither person is currently on our campus in East Lansing.”

He wished the patients a speedy recovery, and said that in order to protect the identity of the patients, he would not elaborate on their connection to the community. He only revealed that the two cases were unrelated.

As of press time, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center puts the number of confirmed cases in that state of Michigan at 334, active cases at 331, and deaths at 3.

Although most COVID-19 cases in Michigan are in Wayne, Macomb, and Oakland Counties in southeast Michigan, Ingham County currently has 6 cases. WKAR reported that most Ingham County cases seem related to travel.

Stanley explained today that, “As a community of 75,000 students, faculty and staff, it is reasonable to expect that we will have several cases that will involve members of our community. It won’t always be possible for me to send out alerts and updates.”

He reminded the community that it can view any updates from MSU by visiting www.msu.edu/coronavirivus.

Stanley concluded by asking the community to take appropriate steps to mitigate the effects of the pandemic: social distancing, hand washing, and sanitizing frequently touched surfaces.

Earlier this week, MSU announced that it would continue its courses – including final exams – online and postpone commencement. All students are encouraged to return home if possible.

Students who vacate their dormitories by April 12 are eligible for a $1,120 credit. Students who cannot return home are able to remain on campus and have access to food, healthcare, and counseling.

The City Council of East Lansing is holding a special meeting tomorrow morning to decide whether to extend the local State of Emergency.

ELi has a special section dedicated to our reporting on COVID-19 for East Lansing. See it here and sign up for ELi’s mailer to stay informed.

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