HOLLAND TWP., MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – Illness will close two schools in the vicinity of Allegan and Ottawa counties today.
The Ottawa Area Center is shut down for two days in Olive Township, while East Martin Christian Elementary School will not hold classes today, although its Discovery Christian CDC will remain open.
These are the latest of a number of schools in West Michigan and across the state who have had to put a pause on proceedings due to outbreaks of illness, be it influenza or norovirus, and it’s a cyclical thing, according to epidemiologist Marcia Mansaray of the Ottawa County Department of Public Health. “It’s here year-round, but it spikes,” she explained. “Right now, we’re in a bit of a spike because we’re seeing some outbreaks, so I do hope that, as people get outside and are not so confined together that we will see that go down.”
Mansaray and other medical officials say that those who are afflicted should remain home for up to 48 hours in order to stop the spread of these infectious diseases.
