Health officer fields threats after COVID-19 lockdown orders at MSU

FRIDAY, Sept. 18 — While coronavirus-related safety measures ramp up near Michigan State University, local health officials are growing increasingly concerned for their personal safety.

And it’s not out of fear of catching the coronavirus. Instead, it’s tied to growing public backlash.

“There has just been a load of threats and disparaging comments online,” said Ingham County Health Officer Linda Vail. “People have resigned or retired because of this type of treatment. Most of the feedback has been positive but some of these comments are just alarming.”

Vail said she was forced to shift her Facebook page private earlier this week after information she shared related to COVID-19 was met with “disparaging, hateful or threatening” comments. “I will no longer be able to post publicly to protect myself and my family,” Vail posted on Facebook.

“There have always been comments but some are just getting more alarming now,” she said.

Vail wouldn’t elaborate much on the type of feedback she received in recent weeks, but said the recent onslaught of negativity increased after she took measures to lock down MSU’s campus. Gubernatorial nicknames like “Whitler” have transferred to phrases like “Queen Linda,” she said.

“It’s the same sort of thing: People citing personal liberties, that type of thing,” Vail explained.

A recent spike in COVID-19 cases tied almost exclusively to parties near MSU forced health officials into crisis mode last week as Ingham County earned the rank of top coronavirus hotspot in Michigan when tracked proportionately by population using a rate of daily cases per million.

More than 550 of about 1,000 cases detected since Sept. 1 have been tied to MSU students. The outbreak pushed health officials to restrict the size of indoor and outdoor gatherings, require face masks downtown and shift dozens of large rental homes into a mandatory quarantine. Another 11 homes, most of which are fraternities and sororities, were added to the list yesterday.

Only time will tell if the measures will curb the ongoing community spread, but not everyone agrees that students needed the extra precautions. And Vail said the mitigation strategy has translated into hateful rhetoric and violent opposition flooding her personal Facebook page.

Young Americans for Liberty may have also played a role. A press release sent out last week admonished Vail and MSU officials for their “draconian” tactics in mitigating the viral spread. Activists said they were “saddened and appalled” that MSU worked with the county to place students in quarantine, comparing the situation to an unjustified, unconstitutional house arrest.

“When I send my tuition to MSU, I expect their focus to be on their mission statement of providing outstanding undergraduate education to promising, qualified students, not dictating the lives of people not even on school property,” said YAL Michigan State Chairman Nathan Roon in a recent press release. “These attempts to bully students and student-led organizations into submission are disgusting, un-American and unworthy of this university’s legacy.”

Although Vail is growing concerned for her personal safety, she maintains that she isn’t going to let newfound opposition — and hateful Facebook comments — prevent her from doing her job. Safety measures will continue to increase as necessary to curb the spread of COVID-19.