A rise in COVID-19 positives means Houghton County schools will switch Monday to online classes only for the next two weeks, while Escanaba’s middle and high schools will be closed starting today, also until Oct. 12.

The Western Upper Peninsula Health Department announced the move in Houghton County on Thursday, citing “a sustained increase in positive cases since the end of August.” Some of the districts affected include Houghton, Hancock, Dollar Bay, Chassell, Calumet and Lake Linden- Hubbell.

Any sports events scheduled for tonight were permitted to proceed, considering how late the closure came in the week, officials said. But all athletic activity otherwise will not be allowed over the two-week shutdown.

“The capacity of our local health care and public health system has been stretched thin by the steady increase of COVID-19 cases in Houghton County,” said Kate Beer, health officer at WUPHD. “The positive test rate for Houghton County has risen from 0.6% at the end of August to 5.1% as of Sept. 21. This pause allows us to work with the schools and other community partners to review and strengthen mitigation efforts as we move forward with the school year.”

Houghton County has posted 125 new positives and 29 probable cases in the past week. The WUPHD also has seen an increase in Baraga County.

In Escanaba, Superintendent Coby Fletcher made the announcement Thursday afternoon at the same time parents were informed about the decision.

“We have identified a case of ongoing transmission of COVID-19 among students at the junior high/senior high. As I informed our Eskymo community in my last letter, a high County Level Risk Determination combined with ongoing transmission is one of the circumstances that triggers the closure of a campus to students,” Fletcher stated in a message to parents.

The closure will only affect the junior high/senior high. While that campus will be closed, school will continue virtually via livestream through Oct. 9.

The WUPHD on Facebook reported 337 confirmed COVID-19 positives in Houghton County, which would be the most among the Upper Peninsula’s 15 counties. Delta County, where Escanaba is located, had 302 cases, according to Public Health, Delta and Menominee Counties.

Across the Upper Peninsula, Michigan’s COVID-19 data site Thursday listed 66 new positives: 19 more each in Delta and Menominee counties, 11 in Iron County, nine in Dickinson County, five in Baraga County, four in Marquette County and one in Luce County. The state reduced Alger County’s count by two.

On Facebook, Iron County had a total of 122, up 14 since Wednesday, according to the Dickinson-Iron District Health Department. The DIDHD on Thursday recorded Dickinson County at 121 confirmed COVID-19 positives and three probable cases, with 62 recovered, two deaths and 60 cases still active. Iron County has had 122 confirmed positives and six probables, with 24 recovered, one death and 103 cases still active.

Among Wisconsin counties in the region, that state’s COVID-19 data site added 48 new cases in Marinette County, 20 in Forest County, seven in Vilas County, five in Florence County and one in Iron County. On Facebook, Forest County listed seven new cases to reach 257, continuing to have Wisconsin’s highest rate of positives, according to the county’s health department.

For the Upper Peninsula, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday had Keweenaw County with seven confirmed cases and one probable; Luce County, 12 confirmed cases and one probable; Alger County, 16 confirmed and one probable; Baraga County, 17 confirmed cases and eight probable; Schoolcraft County, 22 confirmed cases and two probable; Ontonagon County, 41 confirmed and one probable; Mackinac County, 41 confirmed cases and 16 probable; Chippewa County, 50 confirmed cases and 27 probable; Dickinson County, 120 confirmed cases, three probable and two deaths; Iron County, 121 confirmed cases, four probable and one death; Gogebic County, 144 confirmed cases, 12 probable and a death; Marquette County, 293 confirmed cases, 56 probable and 12 deaths; Delta County, 300 confirmed cases, 47 probable and seven deaths; Houghton County, 310 confirmed cases, 78 probable and two deaths; and Menominee County, 313 confirmed cases, 45 probable and a death. State numbers are updated daily but can lag behind local reports or have other discrepancies.

Using only the state figures Thursday, the Upper Peninsula has had 1,807 confirmed COVID-19 cases to date with 26 deaths.

The MDHHS reported 982 confirmed new COVID-19 cases in Michigan on Thursday for a total of 119,597 to date. The state added eight new deaths Thursday — including six that happened earlier but recently were verified through vital records and testing, according to the MDHHS — for a total of 6,700.

For Wisconsin counties in the region, the state Department of Health Services’ COVID-19 data site Thursday had Marinette County with 816 confirmed cases, 19 probable cases and seven deaths; Forest County, 251 confirmed, three probable and four deaths; Vilas County, 184 confirmed, five probable and a death; Iron County, 138 confirmed, seven probable and one death; and Florence County, 78 confirmed, three probable and one death.

Wisconsin recorded 2,392 new positives in the state Thursday for a total of 108,324, according to the state DHS data site. The state had 14 new COVID-19 deaths Thursday to reach 1,265.

Testing at Dickinson County Healthcare System as of Thursday showed 28 positives from Dickinson County and 83 cases from other counties; those counties are not identified. DCHS has tested 3,985 people for COVID-19, with 111 positive, 3,747 negative and 127 results still pending. DCHS noted there are several additional sources of testing in Dickinson County.