Cass County reacts to Michigan shutdown

CASS COUNTY, Mich--- Government and school district officials are reacting to the Michigan state health department's executive order to shutdown the state for the next three weeks. The order, which was announced Sunday, will go into effect on Wednesday and will be in place until Wednesday, December 2nd.

Leaders in Cass County say they were blindsided by Sunday's annoucement.

"The Governor had a press conference last Thursday and shared similar numbers, similar ideas, and no ideas were shared Thursday," said Jonathan Whan, Superintended of Dowagiac Union Schools. "I would have to say I was surprised by the timing of it but it is what it is and we’ll have to work through it."

Edwardsburg Schools had already begun virtual learning due to staff shortages because of COVID but most of the county is conducting some form of in-person learning.

"I think that everybody in the country would say that face to face is the best form of instruction," said Whan. "So it will be a little bit more challenging to engage the curriculum of distance of distance learning of the next three weeks but I know that everyone will work their hardest and do their best."

Government officials say they're concerned about what this shutdown could mean for the economy. 

"There’s definitely concern in the community and in the local government about our little small governments here in town and especially, we don’t have a lot of eating establishments here and having already been through a shut down and a partial open there’s definitely concern about how we can help them through this next couple of weeks," said Emilie Sarratore, Cassopolis' village manager.