Full Notification

EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Ingham County Health Department has identified 30 large houses in East Lansing with known exposure to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). People living in these properties have been ordered to quarantine immediately for the next two weeks.

The quarantine was mandated by an emergency order (Ingham 2020-18) issued by Ingham County Health Officer Linda S. Vail this afternoon. The quarantined properties include 23 fraternity and sorority house and seven large rental houses. The health department will continuously monitor the situation, and if additional properties are identified with cases or exposures, those houses will also be placed under quarantine.

“I do not take this lightly, but there is an outbreak centered on Michigan State University (MSU) and it is quickly becoming a crisis,” said Vail. “The surge in cases we have seen over the past few weeks is alarming. I am disheartened to add that this outbreak is being fueled in part by a lack of cooperation and compliance from some MSU students, many residing in the properties now under mandatory quarantine. We must contain COVID-19 cases; however, within the MSU community we have been unable to do so with comprehensive contact tracing so other means of disease containment are necessary.”

Residents of the quarantined properties should remain at home for the next two weeks. They must remain in their residence unless they need medical care or necessities that cannot be delivered. People who do not reside in the residence are prohibited from entering the premises unless they are providing an essential service deemed necessary for the immediate health and safety of the residents.

Ingham County has experienced a 52 percent increase in total case count since August 24 and has shifted from a percent positivity rate of 2 percent to 5 percent. In comparison, the MSU community percent positivity has ranged from 11 percent to 15 percent since September 5. More than half of all new cases countywide reside in the city of East Lansing, and the majority of all new cases are MSU students.

Consistent with MCL 333.2261 and 764.15(1), willful violation of this order constitutes a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or a fine of not more than $200, or both.  An individual may be arrested if violation occurs in the presence of a police officer, or the police officer has reasonable cause to believe individual has violated a rule or order.    

The emergency order (including the list of properties) can be viewed at http://www.hd.ingham.org/Portals/HD/Home/Documents/cd/coronavirus/EOSeptember14-2020-18.pdf.

It's important to note that the recommended self-quarantine for all other local MSU students remains in effect as well.