Ingham County Health Department said less people are getting tested for COVID-19
East Lansing Mayor said less people are getting tested in fear of having to quarantine
LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - The Ingham County Health Department said there is a decline in COVID-19 cases in East Lansing, but they are attributing that to the lack of people getting tested. Ingham County Health Officer Linda Vail said there are most likely more cases than what is being reported.
“You can be the best health department in the world and it’s still hard to get cases down that fast,” said Officer Linda Vail.
East Lansing Mayor Aaron Stephens said people are refusing to get tested in fear of having to quarantine.
“Quarantine is something done to keep people safe and it’s to make sure people in the community don’t get exposed to the virus,” said Stephens.
Mayor Stephens said the majority of MSU students and East Lansing residents are getting tested, but it’s a small group of people who are not.
“There are students doing the right thing. It’s a minority of Greek life, it’s a minority of the entire population and honestly it’s a minority of people who aren’t students too that aren’t following the rules,” he added.
The mayor said it’s up to the community to be responsible.
“I am worried about my city generally. I am scared for those that might have significant health issues because of this. My message to you is don’t ruin this for the rest of us," said Mayor Stephens. "So many people are doing the right thing, they want to get back to in-person classes. They want our businesses to succeed, they don’t want people to get sick, so do the right thing.”
Vail said East Lansing saw a surge in coronavirus cases when students moved back near campus. However, she said the city most likely won’t see another surge like that.
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