U. Of Michigan Students Under Stay-In-Place Order, But Football Can Still Kick Off

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The University of Michigan football stadium is shown in Ann Arbor, Mich., this summer. Health officials in Michigan say infections among university students account for over 60% of local infections.

Paul Sancya/AP

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Paul Sancya/AP

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Big Ten Reverses Decision, Will Start Football Season In October

The Big 10 Conference, which includes Ohio State, Michigan State, University of Maryland and Purdue University, announced last month it will return to the gridiron this weekend, after initially sidelining football and other fall sports because of the coronavirus.

During the summer, Michigan’s Head Football Coach Jim Harbaugh pushed for playing games, saying, «This virus can be controlled.

He said at the time he was pushing for a return to play not just out of his «passion for the sport, but also because of COVID-19 testing statistics his team collected on players during summer practices.

On Monday, Harbaugh acknowledged that there have been an unspecified number of cases in the program since Sept. 10, according to the Detroit Free Press.

As of Wednesday morning, Washtenaw County had 4,301 confirmed coronavirus cases, according to state statistics.

On Tuesday, county officials said more than 600 confirmed and probable cases had been reported «and 61% of these are connected to University of Michigan students living on or off campus.