Health officials encourage people to celebrate Labor Day safely
BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. --- With Labor Day just around the corner, health officials are asking people living in both Indiana and Michigan to keep safety precautions in mind when making plans.
“Labor Day weekend is a fantastic time to get together with family and friends, but it’s important to remember that COVID is still very much a risk in all of our communities,” Gillian Conrad, with the Berrien County Health Department, said.
After a spike in coronavirus cases following 4th of July weekend, health officials hope people will celebrate Labor Day safely.
“We do not want to repeat that sort of situation now that we’re in September and there are a lot of schoolchildren back in person learning this fall, we’d love to keep our community transmission numbers low as they have been during the month of August,” Conrad said. “So it is up to everyone keep the spread of COVID-19 to a minimum.”
“Per current executive orders here in Michigan, people can gather in groups of up to 100 if they are outdoors, however if they are indoors, group sizes are limited to 10 or less here in Southwest Michigan,” Conrad said. “And just really make sure that if you’re going to be in a larger group of people, be sure to keep that six foot distance from other people, wear your mask if you’re going to be in public, you’re washing your hands frequently and absolutely staying home if you are sick.”
For Indiana, the state is still in stage 4.5 of Governor Holcomb’s ‘Back on Track’ plan.
Here are some safety precautions to follow if you live in Indiana:
- Social gatherings of up to 250 people
- Any gatherings 250+ must be approved
- Follow CDC guidelines (6 ft. of distance)
- Mask up
- Wash your hands
- Stay home if you are sick
Health officials in both Indiana and Michigan encourage people to plan events outdoors if possible. Until there is a vaccine for COVID-19, cases will continue to rise so it is up to us to do our part, according to Conrad.
“Especially with small children back in the classroom learning this fall, we want to make sure we can keep our COVID-19 transmission rate as low as possible,” Conrad said.