By Shelby Stewart
Staff Writer
Voters in Brandon Township were met with a list of six questions when they went to the polls on Aug. 4. Two of the questions asked if the voter was in attendance of the Brandon High School Graduation on July 26 or if they had been in contact with anyone who had attended graduation.
The questions stem from a July 29 letter from the school district stating they had been notified that an individual who attended the graduation had been positively diagnosed with COVID-19, and no students or staff members were being recommended to quarantine at the time.

The guidance to the school came from the Oakland County Health Department. It was recommended to watch for symptoms until Aug. 10 and to get tested if any symptoms develop.
“I received a few phone calls from my workers, and they said they had attended,” said Brandon Township Clerk Candee Allen. “That put a lot of fear in my workers and I just felt that I needed to add those two questions.”
In a statement from the Oakland County Health Division, Livingston County Health Department and Genesee County Health Department cases among people ages 15-19 are on the rise. Some of those cases reported attending outdoor functions such as graduation parties. Brandon schools also put out a notice that a player on the high school varsity football team tested positive, and prior to testing had been attending practices July 27-30 and was asymptomatic. The conditioning workouts for the football team were canceled this past week for cleaning and sanitizing and for players and coaches to self-monitor and quarantine.
“We need parents and young people in our community to recognize the risk they take to their own health and that of their family and friends when attending gatherings without taking precautions,” said Leigh-Anne Stafford, Health Officer, Oakland County Health Division. “We can work together across our communities to contain the spread and I urge parents to be aware of activities your kids attend.”
According to the health department, preliminary information indicates a significant increase in cases among high school age students and those numbers could change as case investigation continues in the three counties. In Oakland County, COVID-19 cases among 15 – 19-year-olds in the South Lyon area increased from three cases during late-June to mid-July to 42 from mid-July to early August. Similar trends for this age group have been observed Countywide in Livingston and Genesee counties. For Livingston County, cases increased from three cases during late-June to mid-July to 19 from mid-July to early August and in Genesee County, cases increased from 19 during late-June to mid-July to 94 from mid-July to early August.