Illness is in the air.

Two Northeast Michigan school districts, Atlanta and Rogers City, recently were forced to close because of the number of illnesses among their students.

MidMichigan Medical Center-Alpena is limiting visitor access to patients and is screening both patients and visitors.

And, while no cases have yet been confirmed in Michigan, the coronavirus spreading across Asia, Europe, and into the U.S. is cause for alarm.

It’s important to protect yourself from illness. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers the following tips:

∫ Stay away from people who are sick (or, if you are sick, stay away from people who are healthy)

∫ Always cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you sneeze or cough, and throw the tissue away immediately (cough into the crook of your elbow if you can’t get a tissue)

∫ Avoid touching your nose or mouth

∫ Clean places people touch often, such as doorknobs, with hot water and soap or a household cleaner that kills germs

∫ Wash your hands often with soap and hot water or hand sanitizer

With a little precaution, we can make it through this flu season all right.

Stay healthy, Northeast Michigan.

(THE ALPENA NEWS)