On Tuesday, the Education Department ruled that New York City school kids will no longer have to complete daily health screening paperwork, and students will not be tested for COVID-19 every week.
According to reports, the changes are part of new guidance that scales back some precautions for the last two years of pandemic schooling.
Despite the order, it was learned that other COVID-19 rules would remain in place, including the requirement that anyone visiting city schools shows proof of at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine to enter and that students must be vaccinated to participate in extracurricular activities like sports or performing arts.
The existing rules also state that masks will remain optional for both kids and staff. The city will continue distributing rapid COVID-19 tests to kids — handing out four to each student every month, plus additional tests to kids who may have been exposed to a COVID-positive classmate.
Moreover, the other rules state that students or staff who test positive for the virus must quarantine for five days but can return to school on the sixth day — provided they wear a mask until the tenth day from the start of their symptoms or until they test negative.
It was also learned that schools will still be required to report positive student or staff cases to the “Situation Room,” a task force that tracks school COVID cases. The Situation Room will alert classmates if anyone is exposed to the virus and will continue to update a daily map that shows where cases are reported, according to the DOE.
JOIN US ON WHAT'SAPP, TO GET INSTANT STATUS UPDATES AND BE IN THE KNOW.
CLICK HERE
