News Photo by Julie Riddle Nurse Chris Nielsen applies hand sanitizer at the intensive care nursing station at MidMichigan Medical Center-Alpena on Thursday.

ALPENA — Two adults who had been on the Alcona Community Schools campus may have been exposed to the coronavirus at a Detroit Pistons game and are awaiting test results, according to a post Friday on the district’s Facebook page.

Neither adult is showing symptoms, the district said. Alcona Superintendent Dan O’Connor did not identify the two adults, but said neither were school stafers.

“Two adults that were on campus over the past week came in contact with Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons players at Saturday’s game,” the district said on Facebook. “It was announced that, on Wednesday, two Jazz players tested positive for COVID-19 … I want to reinforce that there is not a confirmed case from the adults who attended the basketball game, nor are they showing symptoms. The case is a sobering reminder as to how easy it is to come in contact with others who have traveled and unknowingly were exposed to the disease.”

New information regarding the situation will be passed along and can be found on the school’s Facebook page, the Alcona Community Schools app, and on their website.

“We’ve been in contact with the local health department and they’re going to be keeping us up to date on the situation while we’re trying to navigate through these unchartered waters,” O’Connor said.

The Alcona announcement came a day after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer late Thursday ordered all K-12 school buildings in the state closed until April 6. On Friday, school leaders were still scrambling to figure out exactly what would happen over the three-week closure, including how the time off would affect the required number of days of instruction, upcoming state standardized tests, and whether kids could be given homework over the internet.

Many parents also are scrambling to figure out what to do with their kids. The Boys and Girls Club of Alpena closed for at least the next week and area libraries canceled programs.

School leaders said they could announce plans as soon as this weekend.

“It goes without saying that, for all of us in this field, nothing is more important than the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff,” Alpena-Montmorency-Alcona Educational Service District Superintendent Scott Reynolds said. “We recognize that it created some inconveniences for parents, in terms of last-minute planning … but, weighing all things, felt that was a bigger priority to deal with that inconvenience as opposed to business as usual for a highly vulnerable population.”

As of Friday night, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state was 25, the closest to Alpena a woman from Charlevoix County.

CONTINUING CLOSURES, CHANGES

The virus continued to force several closures, cancellations, postponements and changes in operations throughout Northeast Michigan.

The City of Alpena announced Friday that payments to the city must be made via mail or a drop box at City Hall. The building department is suspending residential rental inspections for at least the next four weeks.

The Alpena County Sheriff’s Office decided to limit jail visits and lobby usage. Incoming inmates will be screened for symptoms and, if necessary, housed separately from the rest of the population, that office announced.

At the hospital, only one, healthy adult visitor will be allowed per patient, and children will not be allowed, according to a Friday press release.

Many rumors have snaked through the city in the wake of the virus’s arrival in Michigan, most of them disproven.

As of Friday afternoon, there are no known positive tests in Alpena County, according to Staci Chroninger, marketing manager for MidMichigan Medical Center-Alpena.

Ten coronavirus tests have been administered across northern Michigan, according to Denise Bryan, District Health Department No. 4 administrative health officer. Those tested are isolated at home until results are available, usually a day or two after the test is administered. A positive test would result in a whole-household quarantine and notification of community groups that they have been exposed to the virus.

“The way we can circumvent that whole thing is social isolation, right now” Bryan said. “Don’t go work out, don’t go to church, don’t go to that birthday party.”

‘A BIGGER PRIORITY’

As of Friday afternoon, Alpena Public Schools had no direction from the Michigan Department of Education to start e-learning with students, Alpena Superintendent John VanWagoner said.

He said many students in junior high and high school already take courses online and their routine will continue normally. As more information becomes available early in the coming week, these plans could change.

APS will keep parents informed in multiple ways. The district will utilize its robo-call messaging system, email, social and traditional media throughout the extended break.

“The biggest thing is the safety of our students and staff — making sure that we are still including essential staff for cleaning to happen,” VanWagoner said.

Reynolds, of the AMA ESD, said all of districts independently are working to provide school meals to kids during the closure. He said local districts would get meals to students via a combination of home drop-offs and pickups at schools.

Pied Piper students would get meals dropped off at home.

He anticipates the distribution of meals could start as soon as Monday. Specific details are still in the works.

“The state is looking at having us trying to do some food programs for our kids that do not get food,” VanWagoner said. “A lot of them depend on the food they get at breakfast or lunch everyday, and as we know more, we’ll share more with the families and the communities.”

School staff will continue to be paid, VanWagoner said, and people will be on-call depending on the needs of students and the district.

“But we are trying to very much limit our groups of people in one area — to not have the spreading of the virus if at all possible,” he said.

“We do not want to put our staff or community in a position where anyones having to make a decision of reporting to work with possible exposure or an illness issue and sacrificing their own wellbeing out of fear for a paycheck,” Reynolds said. “Right now, it’s about making sure everyone is safe, buildings are secure, and that some of the fundamental options are ensuring that bills are paid and that people are getting the resources they need to take care of themselves in their homes.”

News staff writers Steve Schulwitz and Julie Riddle contributed to this report.

NE MICHIGAN CLOSURES,

CANCELLATIONS

FROM VIRUS

A roundup of closures, cancellations and changes announced Friday because of coronavirus fears:

∫ Closed: Alpena County Library, until April 4. Overdue fines will be suspended until the library reopens.

∫ Canceled: The Skywarn Training Severe Weather Program scheduled for March 19 in Harrisville. The event may be rescheduled.

∫ Canceled: Michigan Works! job fair scheduled for April 7 at Alpena Community College.

∫ Canceled: Services at the Grace Episcopal Church in Long Rapids for the remainder of the month. The soup and sandwich dinner slated for March 27 has also been cancelled.

∫ Changed: The Alpena County Sheriff’s Office is not allowing onsite inmate video visitation or fingerprinting for employment or concealed weapons. Sex offender registrations and purchase permits for handguns will continue in the jail lobby. All inmate religious services, education courses and other programs will stop immediately.

∫ Canceled: The Boys and Girls Club of Alpena will be closed March 16 to 20. Sack lunches are still available by calling the club.

∫ Closed: The Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op will close its office to the public until at least until April 6. The utility can still be reached by phone or online at pieg.com. No other interruptions are expected.

∫ Canceled: The opening reception for the Presque Isle District Library’s Smithsonian exhibit at the Rogers City Senior and Community Center, scheduled for March 21, as well as all programming and events at the library through April 6.

∫ Closed: The City of Alpena is only accepting payments through mail or City Hall drop box and has canceled rental inspections for four weeks. Utility provider Suez is accepting payments through drive-through or drop box.

∫ Closed: Alpena Power Co. is accepting payments only through mail, online, or its drop box.

∫ Canceled: Alpena Community College classes for Monday and Tuesday. Beginning Wednesday, classes will be held by remote learning, if possible. Courses held on high school campuses are suspended until April 5. Park Arena and the Wellness Center will be closed until further notice. All non-ACC events held on the Alpena campus have been cancelled through April 5.

∫ Canceled: Word of Life Baptist Church has canceled Sunday services and weekday activities and programs for the next two weeks, but will live-stream a message online each Sunday at 10:45 a.m. via YouTube, youtube.com/WordofLifeBaptistChurch.

∫ Canceled: All Sunday and weekday masses throughout the Diocese of Gaylord, including churches in Alpena, are canceled until April 6.