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April 10th, 2021 
Awake Goy 
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday announced at a press conference that she has urged high schools in the state to voluntarily close for in-person instruction for two weeks after spring break, amid soaring COVID-19 transmission rates in the state.
She also urged for youth sports to pause and for residents to avoid indoor dining for the same period to help slow the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19.
“A policy change alone won’t change the tide. We need everyone to step up and take personal responsibility here,” she said, when asked why she didn’t issue any mandatory orders and instead opted for a recommendation.
“We all need to go above and beyond the rules we have in place,” Whitmer said.
“Right now our numbers are alarming, and we all have a role to play to get our state moving in the right direction again,” she added. “That’s why I’m renewing my call on the federal government to surge additional vaccines to our state.”
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), in a document (pdf) shared late Friday on its Twitter account, reported that three key metrics used to determine how fast the CCP virus is spreading in the state “are all increasing.”
To slow the spread of #COVID19 & protect Michiganders, @GovWhitmer & MDHHS are urging Michiganders to voluntarily suspend in-person activities for high schools, indoor dining, & youth sports for two weeks. View recommended school mitigation strategies at https://t.co/oP82QC6JVh.
— Michigan HHS Dept (@MichiganHHS) April 9, 2021
In particular, the percent positivity—the percentage of all COVID-19 tests that yield positive results—has increased to 15.6 percent statewide, and is increasing in all regions. Case rates have also increased to 375 percent from a low point in mid-February. Hospitalizations attributed to the CCP virus have also increased over the past month, and the percentage of inpatient beds taken up by people with the virus have increased 203 percent from mid-February.
The nature of the CCP virus cases in the recent surge are also different from last year, the department noted. In 2020, seniors were disproportionately affected by the CCP virus. However, the past month has seen case increases and case numbers highest among younger people. Those aged 20-29 and 30-39 are seeing the highest case rates.
Outbreaks are “most prevalent” among K-12 settings, according to the department, reporting that case rates for children 0-9 and 10-19 are “at an all-time high and are more than quadruple from a month ago.”
The state confirmed 7,834 new CCP virus cases and 26 CCP virus related deaths on Friday. The death rate as of Friday is at 2.2 percent.
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