Michigan: Contact sports can resume Monday, with masks
By DAVID EGGERTFebruary 4, 2021 GMT
LANSING, Mich. (AP) A ban on popular high school winter sports was lifted Thursday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration, days after frustrated parents and anxious teens rallied at the Capitol to try to persuade officials that basketball, wrestling and hockey could safely take place during the coronavirus pandemic.
Whitmer said science, not protests, made the difference. Nonetheless, many school officials said they believe she considered the pleas to revive the sports season.
Athletes must wear masks or, if that is unsafe, be regularly tested for COVID-19 under the revised order.
Image credit: State of Michigan
Health regulations promoted by Governor Gretchen Whitmer and MDHHS prevented over 100,000 COVID-19 infections and thousands of deaths.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) “Pause to Save Lives” did exactly that – save lives according to a University of Michigan study.
Moving high schools and colleges to online-only instruction, along with shutting down entertainment venues and indoor dining likely prevented over 100,000 COVID-19 infections and 2,800 deaths.
U of M Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Marisa Eisenberg, says the states with more stringent regulations did a better job of handling the pandemic.
“What we found was that states that had a higher average government response index, which is this sort of measure of government action in response to COVID, did better in terms of having lower total numbers of cases over the holiday season,” says Eisenberg.