Name: Grand Ledge schools report 47 coronavirus cases, at least two a variant
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Grand Ledge schools report 47 coronavirus cases, at least two a variant

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Lansing State JournalView CommentsLANSING —&nbsp;Several Grand Ledge Public Schools basketball&nbsp;teams are tied to a recent cluster of COVID-19 cases, at least two of them a more contagious variant.As of March 12,&nbsp;47 cases had been linked to an outbreak in Grand Ledge Public Schools, according to a notice sent to families on Monday from the district and Barry-Eaton District Health Department.Two of the&nbsp;cases were a more contagious variant of the virus first found in Great Britain, officials confirmed Tuesday, leading them to believe the same of the entire outbreak.&nbsp;The 47 cases are tied to “several school sports teams,” according to the notice, including 29 Grand Ledge&nbsp;middle and high school students, coaches and staff. The additional cases involve close contacts of those people.“Because this variant is more contagious, this is a concern to the entire community,” the notice read.A separate, unknown number of cases are also tied to Okemos Public Schools students, whose varsity, JV&nbsp;and freshman basketball teams&nbsp;played&nbsp;against Grand Ledge&nbsp;on Feb. 18, according to Anne Barna, spokesperson for the Barry-Eaton District Health Department.Health officials began seeing cases of the variant in players from both schools shortly after."We just know someone at those games at some point was infectious," Barna said.Okemos Public Schools Superintendent John Hood could not immediately be reached.Ingham County Health Officer Linda Vail did not provide an exact number of cases involving Okemos students,&nbsp;saying she wanted “to be mindful of protected health information.” Especially&nbsp;in a school setting, students and faculty can often be&nbsp;identified&nbsp;in smaller outbreaks,&nbsp;she said.“It’s a relatively small number of cases,” Vail said.Grand Ledge district officials alerted health department officials of the initial cases on Feb. 22. Both bodies continue working together to investigate the cases and conduct contact tracing.&nbsp;The Grand Ledge teams have since undergone 10-day quarantine periods and the school district&nbsp;has resumed some in-person learning. After consulting with health department officials, interim Superintendent David Chapin said students will continue to attend classes at school."At this point, we are going to continue with our mitigation and our in-person instruction," he said.The district asked families to keep students who are sick or who have been exposed to the virus home for a&nbsp;10-day quarantine. Students and families should also isolate if any member of their household contracts the variant.The health department and school district continue asking families to practice social distancing, wear masks, wash their hands frequently and get a vaccination when it becomes available.&nbsp;The district is offering free coronavirus testing on Tuesday, March 16 from 1-7 p.m. and Wednesday, March 17 from 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Sawdon Administration Building parking lot at 220 Lamson St. in Grand Ledge.Craig Lyons contributed reporting.Contact Mark Johnson at 517-377-1026 or at&nbsp;.&nbsp;Follow him on Twitter at&nbsp;.View Comments

Lansing State JournalView CommentsLANSING —&nbsp;Several Grand Ledge Public Schools basketball&nbsp;teams are tied to a recent cluster of COVID-19 cases, at least two of them a more contagious variant.As of March 12,&nbsp;47 cases had been linked to an outbreak in Grand Ledge Public Schools, according to a notice sent to families on Monday from the district and Barry-Eaton District Health Department.Two of the&nbsp;cases were a more contagious variant of the virus first found in Great Britain, officials confirmed Tuesday, leading them to believe the same of the entire outbreak.&nbsp;The 47...

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Grand Ledge schools report 47 coronavirus cases, at least two a variant

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