NOVEMBER 10, 2020, BAY CITY, MICH: The Bay City Commission and Mayor asks all residents to do our part to protect the community from coronavirus. Coronavirus cases in Bay County are at unprecedented levels (11.25% positivity rate; 430 cases first week of November), hospitals are nearing capacity, and deaths surpassed 70.  The Bay City Commission and Mayor supports remote and virtual learning through January for all K-12 public, private, and parochial schools in alignment with higher education to stop spread of the coronavirus. 

The current surge has the potential to overwhelm the healthcare system; the health department issued the following steps to help stop the spread of the virus: 

• Wear a mask anytime outside your household.
• Social distance: maintain at least 6 feet of separation whenever possible.
• Wash your hands: using soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer.
• Avoid poorly ventilated spaces: meet outdoors if you will be gathering with other persons.
• Avoid crowds: limit the duration of time you spend in public venues and limit your number of close contacts from outside your household.
• Quarantine when exposed: if you were identified as a close contact to a person deemed infectious, remain at home until 14 days have elapsed since your most recent exposure to any infectious person.
• Get tested: if you develop COVID-like symptoms, seek testing promptly and self-isolate while awaiting results.
• Self-isolate when infected: if you test positive for COVID-19, remain at home until 10 days have elapsed since the onset of your symptoms (or since testing was performed if you remain symptom free).