(WWJ) The Ingham County Health Department is recommending that anyone who has traveled to certain states self-quarantine to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Health officials say a third of the positive cases in the county have recent travel in their history, so they are recommending anyone who has traveled to states identified by Covid Act Now as "high-risk" to self-quarantine for two weeks upon arrival back home in in Michigan.
Those states are: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, South Carolina, Texas and West Virginia.
The directive comes as Ingham County has been seeing the biggest spikes in cases in the state in recent weeks.
"Travel can be a very risky activity right now. Many people are used to being able to getaway in the summer, but this is not a typical summer," said Ingham County Health Officer Linda Vail, in a statement. "We urge caution and the avoidance of non-essential travel, especially to high-risk areas."
ICHD recommends people use Covid Act Now, https://covidactnow.org/, for real-time information regarding each state's risk and to make decisions regarding domestic travel-related quarantine and workplace exclusions. Covid Act Now is a model developed in partnership with the Georgetown University Center for Global Health Science and Security, Stanford University Clinical Excellence Research Center, and Grand Rounds. The website is updated daily with high-risk states shown in red.
Guidance and requirements for international travelers may vary by country, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) discourages all non-essential international travel and recommends a 14-day self-quarantine for all international travelers. During any type of travel, the health department encourages people to wear face masks or face coverings, practice social distancing, avoid large crowds (especially indoors) and to wash their hands well and often.
This state health department on Monday reported 384 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 7 more deaths. Michigan is expected to surpass 70,000 cases on Tuesday. So far, health officials say 6,075 deaths in Michigan have been linked to the virus.
