MARQUETTE — Northern Michigan University is working to implement changes to support its new mask policy that was announced Sunday amid surging COVID-19 cases.

Classes were canceled on Monday and Tuesday, and remote learning was to start today and continue through Friday.

Interim President Kerri Schuiling issued a letter to the campus community on Tuesday to provide an update.

“Thank you for your patience and flexibility as Northern worked on our quick transition for this first week of classes,” she said. “I apologize for the short notice, and recognize that some of you traveled through rough weather to get to campus in time for Monday’s originally scheduled first day of classes. We did not make the decisions about the changes easily.”

Provided the first shipment of 12,000 KN95 masks arrives today as planned, she said that NMU will spend Thursday, Friday and Monday distributing two KN95 masks to every student at various sites across campus.

Distribution sites and pickup times are being finalized and will be announced soon. A Wildcat ID card or NMU identification number will be required to pick up masks.

Regarding KN95 masks for employees, Schuiling wrote, “Northern is almost out of its existing KN95 mask supply. If you are an NMU employee who did not receive their two KN95 masks from the original masks in stock, you can go to the NMU Police Department to receive two surgical masks to wear inside your fabric mask, doubling your masks until the next shipment arrives this week.”

Employees also need to present a Wildcat ID card or NMU identification number when picking up their KN95 masks.

Schuiling said that NMU has shipments of KN95 masks scheduled to arrive until mid-February so that NMU students, faculty and staff will be able to replace soiled masks regularly.

“We will reassess the KN95, N95, KF94 requirement in February,” she said. “Northern also has 15,000 surgical masks on order that should also be arriving soon.”

She said a variety of KN95 masks from different companies have been ordered so there is a variety to accommodate different face sizes.

“If you received a set of KN95 masks this week and they don’t fit your face well, you may have a better fit with the masks that are set to arrive this week and in the coming weeks,” Schuiling said. “If you have a medical issue related to wearing a KN95, N95 or KF94 mask, please send your name, contact information and details about the issue to SafeOnCampus@nmu.edu.”

She said NMU’s mandatory random testing begins next week with testing from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday in Peninsula II of the Northern Center. Anyone selected for random testing will receive an email from SafeOnCampus@nmu.edu tonight or Thursday morning with a registration link to sign up for a preferred testing time. The appointment will take about 10 minutes.

Until the COVID situation improves, Northern Lights Dining will offer a take-out option at 11 a.m. for residence hall students who prefer not to eat in a communal setting at this time, Schuiling said. Servers will place students’ food choices into the take-out container at the serving stations. The Wildcat Den and Fieras already have been providing take-out options.

Revising on-campus movie restrictions, Schuiling said, “We revised our decision about not allowing on-campus movies. We are allowing in-person movies to be held with the following restrictions: The number of attendees is capped at 100 individuals, and attendees must use social distancing — sitting in every third seat. These guidelines are in place for each showing in the 1100 Jamrich Hall auditorium. The mask requirement, of course, remains in place for all attendees.”

Because NMU adjusted the first week of classes by canceling two days of classes and moving to remote learning for three days, it is adjusting the deadline for students to receive a 100% refund if they choose to withdraw from Northern after this week. Typically, a full 100% refund is available only for the first day of classes. The revised deadline for withdrawal to receive a 100% refund is 5 p.m. Tuesday, and for 90%, the deadline is through 5 p.m. Jan. 24. This provides students time to assess the situation and make informed decisions about withdrawing.

Schuiling also addressed the policy of canceling lectures but not labs.

Lab and studio classes are often held once per week, she said, so canceling even one session wipes out an entire week of the semester. Additionally, they are typically smaller in numbers than lecture classes. NMU officials believed the university had enough personal protective equipment — between surgical masks and existing KN95 masks — for instructors and students to use for the first week of lab and studio classes.

“Finally, most lab and studio style classes are extremely difficult to hold remotely, so when they could be held safely, we felt it would be better to keep them face to face,” Schuiling said.

She had suggestions for students who test positive for COVID-19.

On the SafeOnCampus website’s Student Information page, there is a frequently asked questions section under the “Helpful Resources” headline. It provides the five steps a student should take when they learn they are positive for COVID-19. The FAQ also provides information about what to do if students learn they are positive outside of NMU’s regular business hours. There also is information about who needs to isolate or quarantine in a positive exposure situation. Northern’s COVID-19 dashboard, found at nmu.edu/safe-on-campus/dashboard, has resumed operations for the semester.

Schuiling said the Marquette County Health Department is responsible for the area’s contact tracing, and at times sends some of its cases to the state contact tracing office. The NMU Health Center staff assists the MCHD, as requested, with some parts of contact tracing related to cases for students who live on the NMU campus.

Schuiling said anyone waiting for a contact tracing call should watch for identification information from any of these three sources.

“As you can imagine, the primary question I’ve been receiving is why Northern made such a big change so quickly as was made on Sunday,” Schuiling said. “Again, I apologize for the short notice, but several factors came together very quickly to cause us to pause. One of the most concerning of those factors was UPHS – Marquette’s Emergency Department nearing capacity over the weekend. Let’s see what happens to the COVID case numbers over the next few days and adjust as needed to the trends.

“I choose to remain optimistic that Northern will be able to move forward with our plan for a semester of in-person learning and activities. That said, I know the change was lightning fast and I want to thank the faculty and staff for making this suddenly modified first week workable and students for being flexible and patient.”

Monoclonal antibodies in ‘extremely short supply’ locally

Due to the limited quantity of COVID-19 antivirals and monoclonal antibodies, or mAb, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has developed eligibility criteria and prescribing requirements for the antivirals, the Marquette County Health Department announced.

Eligibility criteria is available at bit.ly/3HSvi5e.

Marquette County does not have oral antivirals currently available and the mAb antibody supply is in what it called “extremely short supply.”

MCHD urges people to get vaccinated, wear a mask when appropriate and assume personal responsibility to prevent serious consequences of hospitalization and death due to COVID-19.

“I remain concerned the current wave of omicron on our medical care system, especially our emergency room and hospital, may lead to the adverse consequences to the provision of the care needed by members of our community,” said Dr. Bob Lorinser, MCHD medical director, in a news release.

Warning about tests given

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is amplifying new warnings related to reports of fake at-home COVID-19 tests being sold online.

The Federal Trade Commission and Better Business Bureau recently released warnings related to fraudulent tests, so Nessel is reissuing her “Websites Selling COVID-Related Products That Are Fake or Never Arrive Consumer Alert” to highlight important reminders for consumers.

“As the pandemic continues to grip our nation, bad actors are finding new ways to take advantage of our current reality,” Nessel said in a statement. “Right now, there is a huge demand for at-home COVID-19 tests, so it’s important to understand there will be attempts to capitalize on that demand. The best way to combat criminal attempts to defraud consumers is to educate yourself on the latest scams.”

The Department of Attorney General’s consumer protection team is seeing an increase in calls and complaints related to at-home test concerns. At this time, complaints are being reviewed to determine if additional action is necessary.

Nessel gave the following tips from the FTC when shopping online for COVID test kits and related items:

≤ Make sure the test is authorized by the FDA.

≤ Check out a seller by searching online for the website, company or seller’s name plus words like “scam,” “complaint” or “review.”

≤ Compare online reviews from a wide variety of websites.

≤ Pay by credit card. If you’re charged for an order you never got, or for a product that’s not as advertised, contact your credit card company and dispute the charge.

In April, Nessel warned about fake advertisements and “too-good-to-be-true treatments” related to COVID-19. She also issued a COVID-19 Vaccine Scams Consumer Alert.

Consumer complaints can be filed online at the attorney general’s website.

For more information, call 877-765-8388.

Christie Mastric can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.