“Protect Yourself, Protect the Island”
UPDATE ON COVID-19 POSITIVE CASE: A Covid-19 positive person and his family travelled to Beaver Island on the boat on Friday August 14th and are strictly self-quarantined on the island. The person was notified after arrival on the island that he had tested positive and immediately notified authorities. The family apologizes to the community for the upset this travel to the island has caused.
The BI Rural Health Center and the Health Department of Northwest Michigan have been contacted and are in touch with the family. Contact tracing has begun. Local medical and transportation providers are working with the Health Department of Northwest Michigan to develop a short-term plan for the family to safely leave the island for their home. Any plan devised must be approved by the health department and must show that there is very limited potential for others to be infected.
This situation has reinforced the fact that the island is not immune to positive Covid-19 cases and that each phase of the pandemic brings different health and logistical concerns. The situation brings forward again, the vulnerability of Islanders and visitors who rely upon public transportation, whether boat or plane, to get to and from the island. Everyone must take precautions recommended by the CDC relative to travel: If you are sick, or are awaiting Covid-19 test results, do not travel to Beaver Island.
The Covid-19 Leadership Team will be meeting in the near future to discuss long-term solutions to the potential need for non-emergent Covid-19 patient travel to and from the mainland. The team will work with local medical and transportation providers and the Health Department of Northwest Michigan to define the challenges and think about viable, affordable options.
If you are travelling to the Island, or live on the Island, make sure you understand what is expected by your transportation providers, your lodging hosts, businesses, restaurants and bars: check websites ahead of time and follow their procedures. Thank you in advance for following these guidelines and making it easier on everyone to protect the Island:
- Wear a Mask. Now Required in public indoor spaces and crowded outdoor spaces; businesses are now required to refuse entry to those not wearing a mask.
- Respect Social Distancing. Even at the beaches, outdoor dining establishments, businesses, on the sidewalks and trails; maintain physical distancing between your group and others.
- Wash your Hands. Yes, often and thoroughly.
- Monitor your Health. Pay attention for COVID-19 symptoms: Fever, Cough, Shortness of Breath. Check cdc.gov website for up to date information about self-monitoring. If you suspect you’ve been exposed, you are asked to get tested and to self-quarantine.
- If you are concerned about your health, contact the BI Rural Health Center. If you are ill, do not travel to the island. If you become ill while on the island, do not go out of your home. The Rural Health Center is open for regular business; please call ahead to make an appointment so staff can provide social distancing and alternate entrance if Covid-19 testing is requested. There are plenty of testing kits available.
As of July 16, 2020, the Beaver Island Rural Health Center is reporting that 122 patients have been tested for COVID-19: 117 have come back negative and 4 are pending; 1 came back positive in early June. If a result comes back positive, the Health Department of Northwest Michigan’s communicable disease team begins case investigation and contact tracing.
A Note from BIEMS Director: If you have a medical emergency, go to the nearest phone and dial 911 and do not hang up, there may be a short delay. Do not be leery of calling 911 if you have an emergency. Proper protocols are in place and there is hospital capacity in the northern Michigan area; do not put your own health in jeopardy through reluctance to contact 911 because of fear of COVID-19.
For updated information click on the "Coronavirus 19” Link on either township’s homepage
peainetwp.org or stjamestwp.org
