The county-level health department will require individuals to self-quarantine if contact traced by the agency, per a mandate released last week.
According to a press release for the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency, the mandate is intended to prevent community transmission of COVID-19.
“The Public Health Order, based upon the most recent facts about the virus, is intended to protect vulnerable individuals and people who are not yet vaccinated. The goal is to reduce transmission of COVID-19 in schools, workplaces, etc.,” the press release read.
The agency will notify individuals that it believes have been in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19, and these people will be required to self-quarantine for seven to 10 days.
This applies to individuals who work, reside, or attend schools in either Branch, Hillsdale, or St. Joseph county.
The order also stresses the importance of workers and students in K-12 education self-quarantining to mitigate the transmission of COVID-19. The order carries a potential penalty of imprisonment for six months or a $200 fine for those who fail to follow the order under the Michigan Public Health Code.
Lauren Vogel, medical director for Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency, said the Delta variant was the reason for the new mandate. He expressed concern about the emergent Mu variant, which according to Vogel, “may be able to find a way around our vaccinations and our natural immunity.”
Vogel also said the mandate doesn’t have a specified end; rather, it will continue indefinitely depending on the data.
“Until we have control of the emerging numbers of infections, there’s no date in sight,” he said.
Vogel said the measure would assist in the goal of keeping students in school, by restricting the possible transmission of COVID-19.
“The problem is that we have no mask mandate, and that these kids are dealing with a highly contagious and infectious bug,” he said.
Junior Patrick Rhode expressed concern about the new quarantine order.
“This mandate, this whole contact tracing mandate, only inhibits students’ abilities to learn,” he said. “There is no way for a student to interact with his peers through online classes.”
