Beyond the Bus

Here at CATA, we are proud of our partnership with Michigan State University, especially during these hard times. Although MSU had to move classes online for the semester, that hasn’t stopped Spartans from joining the fight against COVID-19. Here are some ways MSU is helping to flatten the curve.

New COVID-19 Test Development

MSU researchers have developed a new COVID-19 test that provides quicker and more accurate results than other common tests. This method is much more sensitive and can detect the virus at small levels that the common test would miss, according to an MSU report. Developed by a team of researchers in the MSU College of Human Medicine, the test could be available for public use by the end of April. Learn more about MSU’s new COVID-19 test here. 

Face Mask Decontamination

Researchers at MSU have created a process that decontaminates masks used by healthcare workers treating COVID-19 patients. This game-changing process, created by an MSU Extension Team, involves baking the masks in commercial ovens, allowing them to be reused at least 20 times. The team has been working with Sparrow Hospital to see if this process can be used with the hospital’s equipment, and hopes to share their work with other communities around the nation in the near future. Click here to learn more about MSU’s new decontamination process. 

Helping the country through this difficult time is an important part of MSU’s existence, said MSU President Samuel Stanley Jr. in a recent interview. “While this pandemic has created a variety of challenges, our university continues to find the will to innovate, respond and make a positive impact around the state, nation and world.”

Proud Partners

These are just two of the many reasons CATA is a proud partner of MSU. In CATA's 2019 Community Report, MSU staff and students discussed what the partnership means to them. View their testimonials in the Community Report here or watch them below.

On the road, horn honks are typically used to alert other drivers or pedestrians. Today, they will be used to say two words: thank you.

At 3 p.m., our operators will honk their horns twice in solidarity with transportation workers nationwide as part of the #SoundTheHorn campaign.

“We proudly sound our horn today in honor of transit workers the world over who are doing their part to contain this tragic pandemic,” said CATA CEO Bradley T. Funkhouser. CATA participated in the original campaign on April 16 and again on May 21.

Operators will sound the horn once to thank healthcare professionals, grocery store clerks, first responders, gas station employees, and other heroes who are performing critically essential work during COVID-19. They will sound the horn a second time to thank transportation workers nationwide for getting these essential workers where they need to go.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, the dedication and commitment of our own essential workforce has been nothing short of heroic,” Funkhouser said. “Our call takers have fielded tens of thousands of calls. Our operators, mechanics, utilities and facilities personnel are working together to fulfill life-sustaining and medically necessary trips, as well as trips to get critical-infrastructure employees to work, often at great personal risk.”

Searching for your own ways to thank essential workers and spread positivity during COVID-19? Check out a few ideas here.

In this time of uncertainty, it's more important than ever to show kindness to those around us. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are so many opportunities to show appreciation to others, even if we're bound to the confines of our own homes.

Here are some fun ways to keep yourself busy while giving back to the community.

1. Make handmade masks

Are you crafty or know how to sew? The City of Lansing has opened up donation sites where people are able to drop off handmade masks. Click here to learn more.

To learn how to make your own masks, click here.

2. Support local artists

Local artists are joining the movement to help make at-home quarantine a little more bearable. One artist released free Lansing-themed coloring pages you can print and colored, with new pages released daily! Once you’ve colored these pages in, be sure to share them with #coloryourlansing.

Check out all of her coloring pages here.

3. Thank people on the front line

Make cards to deliver to cashiers on your trip to the grocery store, or post a shout out to bus drivers and health care workers online. Do you have a neighbor working in one of these essential industries? Drop off goodies, letters or cheer them on to let them know you appreciate their work. 

4. Send letters to local nursing homes

People across the world are writing letters and creating drawings to send to people in assisted living and nursing homes. This is a scary time for many of them, and a letter of love or appreciation can mean so much. 

5. Shop local

Support your local businesses by ordering takeout, purchasing gift cards or leaving them positive reviews online! Places like Cravings Gourmet Popcorn, Blue Owl Coffe, and AnQi Sushi are still open for deliveries and/or curbside pickup. Other businesses like Nuthouse Sports Grill are taking a temporary hiatus, while offering gift cards in the meantime.

Lansing Brewing Company has even been hosting cocktail classes and deals on their social media! Check them out here.