HANCOCK, MI-- People with seasonal residences in the Upper Peninsula should stay away until the coronavirus pandemic levels off.
That’s what Kate Beer with the Western UP Health Department is saying. She says so-called “snowbirds” are traveling into the region from areas with significant COVID-19 activity, putting year-round residents even more at risk. She notes many of the people who are spreading the disease don’t have any symptoms.
“So they might be not showing symptoms yet, or they may have mild symptoms, so when they’re out and about there’s the possibility that they could be spreading the virus.”
Beer says while the chance of a community-wide spread of the coronavirus is less in the sparsely populated UP, the region’s medical facilities are also smaller.
“So if we do have an influx of people that have the potential to become sick, it could really put a strain on our medical resources,” she says.
Beer says it also puts a strain on supplies like groceries and toiletries.
Those who do choose to come to the UP are asked to self-isolate for 14 days and continue to practice social distancing.
