The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has mandated that the University of Michigan cease all athletics activity for up to 14 days. Several people linked to the athletics department have tested positive for the B.1.1.7 variant of the coronavirus, which researchers have estimated is up to 50 percent more transmissible than the standard form of the virus.
“While U-M has worked diligently on testing and reporting within state and Big Ten Conference guidelines, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is mandating a more aggressive strategy for this B.1.1.7 variant, which exceeds current program efforts designed around the standard form of the virus,” the university said in a release.
