DIDHD issues mask order for K-6 students in Dickinson, Iron counties

DICKINSON & IRON COUNTIES, Mich. (WLUC) - Dickinson-Iron District Health Department (DIDHD) has issued a mask order for Dickinson and Iron counties.

The order requires that within educational institutions, children in kindergarten through sixth grade must consistently and properly wear a facial mask covering both nose and mouth while inside any enclosed building or structure of the institution.

The order also requires all persons, regardless of vaccination status, providing service to any child in kindergarten through grade six, properly and consistently wear a face mask while inside any enclosed building or structure of the institution.

The mask order will be effective, Monday, September 20, 2021 and remain in effect until six weeks past the date the COVID-19 vaccine is authorized and available to persons aged five years through age eleven, the CDC transmission levels reach “Low” or until further notice from Daren Deyaert, Health Officer.

As of September 15, 2021, the Dickinson-Iron District Health Department has had 3,261 cases of COVID-19 infections in Dickinson County residents and 1,231 cases of COVID-19 infections reported in Iron County residents. Dickinson-Iron District Health Department has had 382 cases of COVID-19 reported from September 1- September 15, 2021, school-aged children have accounted for 37% of the reported cases.

Since the start of the school year, school aged cases have increased one and a half times each week.

Currently, both counties are designated by the CDC as having a high level of community transmission of COVID-19; both test positivity and new case rates are increasing.

Dickinson County has a positivity rate 9% and a weekly case rate of 590.3 per 100,000 population (data from September 8-September 14, 2021).
Iron County has a positivity rate 9.2% and a weekly case rate of 334.3 per 100,000 population (data from September 8-September 14, 2021).

“By watching these alarming trends in our local data, I feel that this is an important time to act. This act is warranted and temporary to protect those who are not yet eligible to receive protection from the COVID-19 vaccination,” said Deyaert.

View the entire DIDHD order here.