South Michigan News

In a matter of days at the beginning of the month, Hillsdale County COVID-19 cases increased from 19 to 63, turning the county into a rural coronavirus hot spot.

The uptick occurred during the first nine days of the month. Hillsdale County now has 97 confirmed cases and 12 deaths as of April 23, the state reports.

In an interview with WCSR’s Russ Martin, Hillsdale County Chairman Mark Wiley said the increase in the number of people contracting COVID-19 in his community is "alarming," according to the Hillsdale Daily News.

"...But when you look at rural counties, we’re the highest one among rural counties,” Wiley said in the interview.

Due to the increase in COVID-19 cases in Hillsdale County, the County Board of Commissioners has extended the state of emergency order through Tuesday, May 12, according to the Hillsdale Daily News.  

Wiley said he needs people in his community to adhere to what local health officials are advising and practice social distancing to stop the virus from spreading at the rate it is now, according to the Hillsdale Daily News.

“I don’t want to point fingers at any one person or group, but the message is the sooner people listen to the advice that’s being given, the sooner we should be able to return to normal,” Wiley said in the interview. “So please, parents, don’t let your kids go out and play pickup basketball where you’ve got 10 or 15 kids from the neighborhood.”

When visiting local businesses, Wiley advised locals to use their common sense and be aware of their surroundings.  

“Even your big-box stores, like Walmart and Meijer, are now counting the people coming in and going out and limiting the number of people in the store,” Wiley said.