Photo By Staff Sgt. Tegan Kucera | A medic with the Michigan National Guard tests a Mackinac Island worker for COVID-19....... read more read more
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MACKINAC ISLAND – Untouched by cars, untouched by COVID-19, and Mackinac Island would like to keep it that way.
On Aug. 26, 2020, the Michigan National Guard was at Mackinac Island providing free walk-thru COVID-19 tests for the residents and seasonal workers who provide service to tourists.
“We are here to COVID test for the staff on the island, this is will be our fourth time here in the last couple of months,” said Bobbi Ayotte of the LMAS District Health Department. “Mackinac Island is part of our Mackinac County, so we want to work here with our staff to make sure that it is safe.”
The LMAS District Health Department covers Luce, Mackinac, Alger, and Schoolcraft Counties within the state of Michigan. After three testing events, the island has yet to have a case and Ayotte says they would like to keep it that way. Continuing to conduct widespread testing is one way to assess risk to ensure it stays low.
“It reassures everyone that they are doing their part on the island to keep everyone safe,” said Ayotte.
Mackinac Island did not open up immediately upon the beginning of the tourism season. Public health officials on the island wanted to make sure they had all the proper procedures in place so the virus did not reach their shores. Even after it has been open for a couple of months, they are continuing to test to ensure those safety measures are still holding.
“This helps us do better planning and assessment of the state of the pandemic on the island,” said Mike Kasper the professional emergency manager coordinator for Mackinac County. “We want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to protect the tourism and the residents of the island.”
Mackinac Island is home to 500 year-round residents; this almost doubles during the summer with seasonal workers. The county and the health department want to make sure those who live and work on the island are safe, so they can keep the tourists safe as well.
“The most important thing is the collaborative effort between the National Guard and the local agencies,” said Kasper. “We’re very fortunate to have a good working relationship.”
Besides holding many events on the island, the LMAS District Health Department has worked with the National Guard in other parts of Mackinac County and in all the other counties it represents. Each of those times it has been helped by the National Guard.
“We improve, every time we encounter each other, we learn from each other and every job we do gets better,” said Sgt. Hiram Lopez, a medic and radiology technician with the Michigan National Guard’s Task Force 182.
Testing on Mackinac Island is different for the National Guard than in other places around the state. Instead of drive-through testing, the event on Mackinac Island is for walk-through testing. This is due to the island only allowing for emergency vehicles. The main transportation methods are horse drawn carriages, bicycles, and walking across island. This meant the Soldiers had to carry all of their supplies to the testing location from a lakeside dock, because the only way to get to the island is by ferry. This did not deter them from wanting to test on the island.
“It’s turning into a great partnership, we’re getting to know one another and most of us have worked with the National Guard,” said Ayotte. “Building that bond and those partnerships is what you want in a pandemic.”
(Story by Michigan National Guard Staff Sgt. Tegan Kucera)
| Date Taken: | 09.02.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 09.03.2020 18:03 |
| Story ID: | 377469 |
| Location: | MACKINAC ISLAND, MI, US |
| Web Views: | 162 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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