COVID-19 Update: "Stay Home, Stay Safe." Order

March 24, 2020

Dear friends,

A short while ago today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued a “Stay Home, Stay Safe.” Executive Order 2020-21 (COVID-19). The order directs Michiganders to stay in their homes unless they’re a part of the critical infrastructure workforce, engaged in an outdoor activity, or performing tasks necessary to the health and safety of themselves or their family, like going to the hospital or grocery store. This order takes effect on March 24, 2020, at 12:01 a.m., and continues through April 13, 2020, at 11:59 p.m.

I urge each one of us to respond to and fully honor Governor Whitmer’s Executive Order.

The Executive Order provides for essential workers and services to continue to be offered in the State of Michigan. It also provides exemptions for Universities and other places of education as they continue to offer vital educational services. However, it is our intent to still move to an environment that identifies maximum opportunities for all personnel to work remotely. Our supervisors are actively working with and contacting those essential workers and defining their assignments over the next several hours. Those essential workers who will provide this support have our profound thanks as they continue to offer critical services/operations on our physical campus.

I also wanted to offer a brief update on confirmed COVID-19 cases in our Andrews University community. As of today, there are now three confirmed COVID-19 cases in our community, including two employees and one graduate student. All are in good condition.

Please continue to consult our Andrews University COVID-19 page. We will use that as our main source of information to keep faculty, staff, students and families informed of the often rapid changes to our current operations and our lives as a University community, and also for our state, country and world. This will be updated daily and should be your main source of information.

In closing, I again invite your prayers and urge your full support of this important Executive Order. We also offer continued prayers for our colleagues who have received a confirmation of their COVID-19 diagnosis and for those who are directly impacted by this news.

We pray urgently, and invite your prayers, for God’s presence, wisdom and guidance as we navigate this new and continually changing road for each one of us, for our campus and our world as we all respond to the challenging and increasing impacts and threats of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sincerely,

Andrea Luxton
President