Health department: 205 COVID-19 cases linked to students returning to CMU

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    Mt Pleasant, MI (WNEM) — As of Tuesday afternoon, 205 cases of COVID-19 have been linked to students returning to Central Michigan University, according to the Central Michigan Health Department.

That number is as of 2:30 p.m. Tuesday Sept. 1. Of those cases, 190 have been confirmed and 15 are probable.

Case counts include current students, former students, and those living in the community who were identified as being associated with other cases related to the return to school, the health department said.

Classes resumed at CMU on Monday, Aug. 17.

In the week prior to classes starting, there were five confirmed cases found to be associated with the university, the health department said.

“Our investigations have shown that many individuals that have tested positive live with several roommates or have attended large social gatherings. Each positive case had multiple contacts,” the health department said.

Students aren’t surprised by the increase in cases.

“In the academic buildings, the social distancing is working fine. Like on that end, everything is going OK,” said Kendalyn Town, CMU junior. “It’s what happens off campus that is going to cause the trouble so I don’t know how much the university can really do at this point.”

Last week, TV5 reported on a large party police broke up Thursday night.

Although there weren’t any parties on that scale over the weekend, students have still seen large groups together without masks.

For some, it’s concerning.

“I walk into a classroom and I’m sitting with 15 to 20 other people,” said Allyson Przekora, CMU senior. “I know where I’ve been and I know that I’ve been responsible, but the person next to me might not have been that careful or maybe just they don’t have anyone firsthand that’s experienced it.”

The student-caused COVID-19 surge is happening across the state.

Eastern Michigan University announced on Monday it will delay its move in by three weeks and start the year online.

Northern Michigan University suspended in person classes last week due to testing delays.

Students who spoke to TV5 said they are eager to get back to in-person classes. But many of them don’t know when that will be.

CMU President Bob Davies wrote a letter to students, staff, and faculty about the increase in COVID-19 cases and videos circulating on social media showing him at a gathering with students:

As you know, Central Michigan University has been planning for its return to campus for several months. Part of this planning has involved preparing for an inevitable increase in positive cases of COVID-19, and we have processes in place to address these new cases.

Since our students began to arrive last week, CMU has seen a substantial increase in its COVID-19 positivity rate among students. Over the past seven days, we have had 54 new COVID-19 cases in our campus community. Particularly concerning are pockets of positive cases and symptomatic individuals living off-campus — two in Greek-affiliated houses and one in an additional large house north of campus.

We quickly identified and instructed these individuals to isolate or quarantine. We are working closely with the Central Michigan District Health Department on contact tracing, which is a critical step in mitigating further spread of the virus. Individuals who are identified as close contacts are being directed to quarantine and are receiving daily monitoring calls from both the Michigan system for contact tracing and CMU’s team of contact tracers.

Fortunately, most students who tested positive have demonstrated only mild symptoms. As a reminder, CMU tracks the number of positive COVID-19 cases within our campus community and updates the information on our Fired Up for Fall site every Monday.

We met this morning with our partners from the city of Mount Pleasant, Isabella County, Union Township and the CMDHD to discuss this increase in numbers and our approach to managing the safety of our community. We will continue to communicate and work closely with these partners as we move forward.

In response to these new cases, we have strongly increased our safety messaging to students and are taking steps to proactively prevent further spread, including:

Directing all Greek organizations to suspend all in-person activities.
Working with landlords and apartment complex managers to enforce limits on gatherings.
Fining, and even suspending, individuals who host and attend large gatherings moving forward through our Office of Student Conduct.
Partnering with a private company, Helix, to begin on-campus testing within the next week for individuals who have been identified as symptomatic or close contacts. Student-athletes also will be tested as required by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. We will share additional details about this testing soon.
As we strive to prevent further spread of the virus, I again ask everyone to avoid large parties and gatherings. As I recommended previously, please limit all indoor gatherings to fewer than 10 individuals and outdoor gatherings to no more than 15-20.

I am aware of the videos circulating on social media that show me engaging with students at off-campus parties, which may have given the impression that I condoned those gatherings. That was certainly not my intent. That weekend, I rode along with officers from the CMU Police Department and visited a number of gatherings to remind students to wear masks, practice social distancing and to celebrate responsibly. I wanted to reiterate that message as often and in as many settings as possible..

Along our route, I was invited to throw a few bags of cornhole, and I spent a few minutes engaging with those students and reminding them to be safe. In retrospect, I see that my participation in the game — regardless of my intent — sent mixed messages about the importance of avoiding large gatherings, and I apologize for the confusion and concerns my actions caused. As a leader and lifelong learner, I will occasionally make mistakes; when I do, I endeavor to learn from them. As our students have asked of me, I will “do better.”

Remaining on campus this fall relies on every member of our community accepting the responsibility to protect ourselves and others. The activities we engage in — both on and off our campus — have repercussions for everyone who lives, learns and works at CMU and in our local community.

Here’s how you can do your part:

Remember to wash your hands, wear a mask, practice social distancing and avoid large gatherings. Use the CMU Health Screen app or website every day before you come to campus or leave your campus residence.
If you recently attended a large gathering, please monitor your health closely, and report any symptoms immediately using the Health Screen app or by calling CMU Student Health Services at 989-774-6599.
If you receive a call or message from a contact tracer, please respond immediately and honestly. Contact tracing is a critical part of slowing the spread of COVID-19 and is only effective if everyone fully cooperates in the process.
If you have been directed to quarantine, please monitor your symptoms carefully, and do not return to campus until you have completed the quarantine and are cleared by your contact tracer.

While we cannot eradicate every instance of COVID-19, together we can slow the spread of the virus in our community. Please, do your part to keep yourself and others safe.

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