Metro Detroit health departments weigh options as state says no COVID restrictions planned

Michigan sees surge in COVID cases

DETROIT – Michigan officials reported more than 6,000 new COVID cases in the last 24 hours.

That report is down slightly from Wednesday, but still far higher than a month ago.

Michigan officials also confirmed the first case of the Brazilian variant of COVID-19 is in Michigan. That variant is believed to be more contagious. The patient is a Bay County resident who is now in a 14-day quarantine.

Officials said no new restrictions will be put in place. That leaves any potential closure up to county health departments.

In Macomb County there was a 118 percent increase in COVID cases the past two weeks. Health officials in Macomb County said they will not be implementing restrictions.

Washtenaw County officials said new restrictions can be imposed, but none are in the works currently. That county did impose a stay-at-home order for University of Michigan students last fall.

Watch the video above for the full report.

READ: Michigan COVID-19 vaccinations: How to find appointments, info on phases


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About the Authors:

Local 4 Defender Shawn Ley is an Emmy award-winning journalist who has been with Local 4 News for more than a decade.

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.