As overall cases of COVID-19 are dropping in Michigan, Hillsdale County remains the only county in the state with a positivity rate above 15 percent this week.
Business owners in town are following the guidelines and restrictions, but say it's frustrating going into the new year.
"We're closed. We're open. We're closed. We're open," said Jason Walters, owner of the Local Eatery in Hillsdale.
For months, Hillsdale County saw a low number of COVID-19 cases. But now, at the end of the year, the county has the highest positivity testing rate in the state at 18 percent.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mark anything over 15 percent as an indication of high spread and insufficient testing.
Walters says everyone in his business is complying with mask mandates and other rules but they are in a unique spot on the map, bordering Ohio and Indiana.
"Ohio is still open for dine-in and we're a border county," said Walters. "So they're going there and, in addition, there are some restaurants that have remained open despite the orders."
New cases in Hillsdale County are high in the past week. Officials are strongly advising against travelling and getting together with anyone outside of their own home, In addition they are continuing to encourage mask wearing and social distancing when outside.
A representative from Hillsdale Hospital in Hillsdale says the numbers have been trending downward with less patients in December than November.
In a statement, Rachel Lottt, director of marketing development said the following:
"“As the premiere healthcare organization in Hillsdale County, we continue to monitor publicly reported data, as well as what we are seeing in our hospital, clinics and outpatient care settings. In November, our county averaged 36 new cases per day compared to 22 new cases per day in December, so we’re moving in the right direction and are encouraged to see that reflected in the number of COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital. In the past few weeks, we’ve seen fewer COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization. We have also received our first allotment of COVID-19 vaccines and expect to begin administering those early next week to individuals classified as Tier 1a according to the CDC and MDHHS prioritization system.” -Rachel Lott, director of marketing and development."
Despite overall cases decreasing across the state of Michigan, health officials warn it's not time to lift restrictions just yet.