Study and COVID-19: what restrictions will apply in New York schools this year

New York State schools will ease COVID-19 restrictions this fall. Emphasis will be placed on keeping students in school, tests will be canceled and complete quarantine in the classrooms. Kathy Hokul announced it on August 21, reports ABC7.

“The main news is that there is no more quarantine. There is no need to take tests anymore. And the days of an entire class being sent home because one person had symptoms and tested positive are over,” she said. We have already gone through this experiment. Children are safe in classrooms. And when they are not in the classroom and traditional education is stopped, it can be devastating for the well-being of these children.”

The State Department of Health will send updated guidelines to school districts:

– If a student or teacher has been exposed to the virus or has close contact and has no symptoms, they no longer need to return home. They can stay at school, although the CDC recommends wearing a mask for 10 days if someone has been exposed.

– If a classmate tests positive for COVID and your child has no symptoms, your child can stay at school as long as they wear a mask.

– If the child is really sick and stays at home for five days, and then after five days he has no symptoms, he must return to school.

“We no longer recommend screening testing, which is random testing of people who do not have symptoms,” Hokul said. - It was a year ago".

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However, under certain circumstances, schools may choose to conduct screening tests as part of high-risk activities.

“The choir, where the kids are next to each other, the wrestling teams,” she explained. “We will leave it up to the individual schools to make that decision. But the CDC and the Department of Health no longer recommend this random screening.”

School districts will continue to receive coronavirus testing kits

To start, one set for each student. And schools may ask for more. About 14 million tests are expected to be distributed to more than 600 school districts in the state.

“We had a lot of rules last year,” Hokul said. “This year we have a different scenario. This year is expected to be easier for parents and schools.”

Despite the easing of restrictions, Hokul reminded that one should not lose sight of the fact that the number of cases increases in autumn and winter.

“This is our vulnerable time,” she clarified. - Will it happen again? We do not know. But our policy has always been to prepare for the worst. That's why we're going to continue to study patterns. These numbers tend to rise in autumn. The weather is getting colder, more people are gathering. We will remain vigilant and stay prepared. Maybe we won't need a plan for the winter."