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MARQUETTE -- Ishpeming Public Schools has revised its 2021 Back To School Preparedness and Response Plan to continue dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We want to give flexibility to teachers to have the option of teaching remotely, either from their home or from their classroom," IPS Superintendent Carrie Meyer said during Monday's board of education meeting. "It previously was in the plan that they would report to their classrooms, but with the COVID pandemic, our team felt that it was best to give options."
The board voted to provide that flexibility in the plan as well as another update regarding remote learning and connectivity at Ishpeming High/Middle School.
"Each teacher is responsible to connect with a student via Zoom or Google Meet at least twice per week, and so that's spelled out a little bit," Meyer said.
Meyer noted that due to a positive COVID-19 case, eighth-graders learned remotely Monday and Tuesday, returning to face-to-face learning immediately after winter break.
"Our staff, our administration, in all the buildings are doing things right," Meyer said. "The students are following instructions, wearing their masks, cleaning is happening -- and we're doing this right."
She noted there have been few positive COVID-19 cases due to rapid response for contact tracing by the administration and nurse, with parents and families notified immediately to stop the spread.
Nurses form union
Nurses at Aspirus Keweenaw Hospital voted Monday to form a union with the Michigan Nurses Association, an affiliate of National Nurses United. The vote was 35-17, the MNA said.
The results will become official when certified within seven days, barring any further objections from the employer.
"We formed our union because we wanted to have a voice about what happens in our hospital," said Geoff Bean, a nurse at Aspirus Keweenaw Hospital, in a statement. "As the pandemic has continued to rage, we knew we needed to come together as a union in order to keep our patients and ourselves safe."
The election was held after a multiple-month delay when Aspirus executives appealed the case to the federal National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C.
This is the fourth facility where nurses have voted to organize with the Michigan Nurses Association since the state went right-to-work in 2013. Aspirus Keweenaw is also the largest hospital in Michigan whose nurses have voted to unionize since the start of the pandemic.
Text outreach launched
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on Monday confirmed the launch of a statewide text outreach aimed at increasing residents' awareness of the state's new exposure notification mobile app, MI COVID Alert.
The text messages, which began this month, make it simple to connect to and download MI COVID Alert, according to an MDHHS press release. Each text includes information about the app and a link to the landing page on the state of Michigan coronavirus website with more information about how it works, details about how MI COVID Alert keeps user information anonymous, and links to Apple and Google app stores.
"We want Michiganders to know this is a legitimate communication from the department as we encourage them to take this easy step to protect themselves and others by downloading the MI COVID Alert," said Robert Gordon, director of MDHHS, in a statement.
The texts encouraging Michiganders to download the app are being sent to individuals based on publicly available resident contact information. Because MI COVID Alert users are anonymous, some individuals who already downloaded the app might still receive a text message.
Early text messages included a short link to healthymi.site/alert4 directing residents to the MI COVID Alert landing page. All new messages now display at michigan.gov/MICOVIDAlert.
According to the State Emergency Operations Center, the no-cost anonymous app has been downloaded nearly half a million times -- a figure that represents a little more than 9.5% of 18- to 64-year-olds in Michigan -- in the initial weeks of the statewide launch.
Whitmer battles evictions
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday announced that her administration will take a number of actions to provide support for Michigan's families, restaurants and small businesses.
The Whitmer administration will implement another liquor buyback program for restaurants and bars similar to the one administered earlier this year, as well as partner with Michigan restaurants to allow Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for prepared meals.
The administration also announced another $2 million for the Eviction Diversion Program.
"These actions will ensure that families have the support they need to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads this winter, as well as provide support to local restaurants and small business owners all over the state that are struggling as a result of the pandemic," Whitmer said in a statement. "As we continue working to distribute the safe and effective vaccine and eradicate COVID-19 once and for all, I will keep using every tool in my toolbox to protect our families and small businesses."
Whitmer's Restaurant Meal Program will give eligible food assistance recipients the opportunity to use their benefits to purchase restaurant meals. Older adults over 60, people with a disability including those who receive Social Security Income or other disability program benefits, and people experiencing homelessness are among those who are eligible.
MDHHS is opening the program for restaurants to enroll with the aim of providing diverse and affordable options for eligible participants across the state. Restaurants interested in partnering with MDHHS in this program are asked to visit the MDHHS website, where they can learn more about program requirements and how to enroll.
"We at Jack's support the Restaurant Meal Program," said Bobbi Ryan and Cynthia Ivy, owners of Jack's Restaurant in Rapid River, in a news release. "We care deeply about our community and strive to serve as may as we can however we can."
As part of the spirits buyback program announced earlier this year, the Michigan Liquor Control Commission bought back almost $3.4 million in spirits from 673 on-premises liquor licensees, providing an average $5,000 in financial relief for bar and restaurant owners during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whitmer's administration will take similar action this winter.
The Michigan State Housing Development Authority Eviction Diversion Program is designed to keep Michigan residents who fell behind on their rent due to COVID-19 in their homes. So far, the program has helped an estimated 16,000 people stay in their homes. The program was initiated and funded from Senate Bill 690, which appropriated $880 million in federal dollars from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.
The Senate bills called for $60 million to be set aside to establish a rental assistance program, of which $50 million has been dedicated to keeping renters in their homes with the remaining $10 million covering case management, legal and administrative costs.
The Whitmer administration will continue to assist renters with this program and other complementary programs until additional federal eviction resources arrive through the federal stimulus that passed on Monday.
Whitmer reacts to relief bill
Whitmer on Tuesday provided the following statement after the U.S. House and Senate passed a bipartisan relief package that provides support for families, frontline workers and small businesses. The package does not include funding for state and local governments to fund crucial services to keep families safe.
"I am glad that Congress has passed legislation that includes stimulus checks, enhanced unemployment benefits, rental and eviction relief, money for schools and small business loans," Whitmer said. "This support will help so many Michiganders who have borne the brunt of the pandemic at an individual level, including small business owners who are worried about how they'll make it through the winter, people who have lost work as a result of the pandemic and more."
She pointed out that Michigan and states across the country need additional aid for state and local governments.
"For months, bipartisan governors across the country have been urging Congress to provide federal funding to states to fund crucial services like police and fire, emergency responders, Medicaid, higher education and more," Whitmer said.
These services, she stressed, could face cuts without help from the federal government.
"This virus will not go away at the start of the new administration," Whitmer said. "Like President-elect (Joe) Biden has said, this relief bill will be a down payment. It does not mean that Washington's work is done.
"I will continue to hold our leaders in Washington accountable as we continue working to distribute a safe and effective vaccine, grow our economy and eradicate COVID-19 once and for all."
LMAS answers vaccine questions
The Luce-Mackinac-Alger-Schoolcraft District Health Department said that as the first COVID-19 vaccines began being delivered late last week, it has received many questions about the vaccines, masks and social distancing. The health department has provided answers to the most frequently asked questions.
Presently, the amount of available vaccine is going to the highest priority groups of health care workers, persons who work in long-term care facilities and residents of those facilities. It will likely be many months before adequate quantities of the vaccine are available for all, it said.
Additionally, there are no waiting lists for the shot. Health departments and hospitals and long-term care facilities are working to make sure that those who are in the highest priority levels get their two-shot series, according to LMAS. Much of the timing will depend on the pharmaceutical companies' ability to produce enough vaccine to meet demand.
LMAS stressed the vaccine will protect people from getting sick or at least reduce the severity of illness, but people still might pick up the virus and be able to spread it to others who haven't been vaccinated yet. So, they should continue to wear face masks, practice social distancing, stay home when ill, not gather in large groups and wash hands frequently.
Epidemiologists and other medical researchers estimate that about 70% of Americans -- about 230 million people -- must be vaccinated before herd immunity is accomplished through vaccination.