Hope College student quarantined, tested for coronavirus in Michigan

A student at Hope College is being quarantined and tested for coronavirus after exhibiting flu-like symptoms, school officials said Tuesday.

The student notified the college that he had “a possible off-campus exposure to the virus,” according to a message from college President Matthew Scogin.

The student was quarantined and will be tested “out of an abundance of caution,” Scogin said.

“We will share the test results with you as soon as we have them,” he added.

School officials said the college will continue to operate as usual.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Michigan had no confirmed cases of the coronavirus. The state is awaiting testing results for 24 possible cases, and an additional 124 people who were not tested are being actively monitored, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Michigan only has 375 tests, and 39 have been used so far and come back negative. As suspected cases continue to mount every day, Michigan could be out of tests by the end of the week.

The coronavirus, which began in China, is rapidly spreading across the globe, with more than 700 confirmed cases and 27 deaths in the U.S., as of Tuesday afternoon. At least 35 states have confirmed cases.

Health officials said it’s only a matter of time before the coronavirus reaches Michigan.

So what should we expect? Depending on the severity of the outbreak, governments and organizations could close schools and universities, halt mass transit, and cancel sports, entertainment, religious, and political gatherings. Employers could order employees to work remotely. People may decide to stay at home and avoid restaurants, coffee shops, movies, and other places to socialize, which could hurt the local economy. And state health officials have the authority to quarantine people in their homes or medical facilities.

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