• Photo by Kevin Lavery, WKAR News

MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - “As hard as it is, this is not the time to travel and to gather in groups and multiple households. If you're going to do it, keep it down to just two households less than 10 and be cautious, “ said Ingham County Health Officer Linda Vail during the weekly media briefing Tuesday evening.

Even though it is advised that Thanksgiving gatherings should only include two houses with a maximum of 10 people and that people shouldn't travel, health officials expect COVID-19 cases to continue to rise this holiday week.

Vail said, “Your best bet really is quarantine for 14 days before you travel so that when you get there you know that you are as safe as you can possibly be. Quarantine for 14 days when you return so that you have the same.”

East Lansing continues to be a COVID-19 hotspot in Ingham County. There have been more than 2,000 cases, more than any other zip code in the county.

Michigan State University President Samuel L. Stanley sent an email to students on Nov. 5 also encouraging them to limit their travel. In addition to quarantining for 14, President Stanley urged students and faculty to partake in the Spartan Spit Test, which provides early COVID-19 detection.

Vail spoke about parents using a thermometer to determine if their college student is safe to come back home. She said that it doesn’t hurt to use that method, but a fever is one of the later symptoms and isn’t accurate in determining if someone is contagious or not.

As of Nov. 24 there are 8,005 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 102 deaths in Ingham County. There is an average of 7 deaths per week in the county.