'We cannot be complacent' with coronavirus when MSU students return to East Lansing

Carol Thompson
Lansing State Journal

EAST LANSING — Michigan labor officials had a singular message for East Lansing business owners, who are preparing for a new crop of students to swarm the city when Michigan State University starts its fall semester in a few weeks:

The virus is going to be with us, and we have to fight it together. 

"College and k-12 starting is huge," Michigan COVID-19 Workplace Safety Director Sean Egan said. "We cannot be complacent about this."

Egan spoke during a Wednesday webinar the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity hosted for East Lansing business owners as part of a series focusing on slowing the coronavirus from spreading through campus communities this fall. 

Universities like Michigan State are charged with managing campus life, but it's up to neighboring cities, like East Lansing, to be prepared for students who travel off campus, he said. 

And an outbreak at a facility that isn't following the rules meant to curb the virus' spread, then all businesses could be hurt. 

"We all have a role to play," he said. "We have to think beyond what we have to do and have to think about what else can we do to contain COVID in our communities."

Managers should enforce rules and recommendations for workplaces operating during the coronavirus era, he said. Dance floors should be closed. Performance venues should be closed. Seating should be limited. Masks should be on. 

Egan said workplaces should have COVID-19 preparedness and response plans, screen employees for symptoms at the start of their shifts and place barriers shielding workers from customers when space for social distancing isn't available.

They also should enforce rules for the public. People are required to wear masks in indoor public settings, and workers are allowed to kick out customers who won't comply or accept reasonable accommodations, like ordering take-out instead of being seated. 

Apartment complexes should stagger move-in dates to avoid having too many people in lobbies and elevators at once. 

Egan pointed people to workplace information posted on michigan.gov/covidworkplacesafety.

Many of the questions Wednesday focused on students' more private forms of recreation. Namely, house parties.

If bars and restaurants enforce the rules on mask wearing and capacity limitations, what's to stop students from throwing a basement bash?

East Lansing officials should be prepared to enforce executive orders about gatherings even on private property, said State Fire Marshal Kevin Sehlmeyer. Only 10 people are allowed in indoor gatherings, according to a recent executive order. Outdoor events cannot exceed 100 people.

Police could also use noise ordinance violations as a tool to shut down gatherings, he said. 

"That is definitely where we need to involve local law enforcement," he said. "Those are collaborative efforts. That's one of the reasons we're doing a call today. We're trying to get those relationships built ahead of time so we can get these crowds dispersed."

Egan will host webinars geared toward communities home to major universities, including Grand Rapids, Detroit, Ann Arbor, Mount Pleasant and Marquette. 

Young people were behind the surge in coronavirus cases locally and statewide this summer.

That's why it's "critical we take extra steps to ensure ensure that businesses in college towns know how to protect their employees, customers and communities from COVID-19," LEO Director Jeff Donofrio said in a press release.

Contact Carol Thompson at ckthompson@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @thompsoncarolk.