In a two-day mass testing campaign, 4% of Seattle students and staff tested positive.
SEATTLE, Wash. Seattle Public Schools reported on Tuesday that 588 persons tested positive for COVID-19 over a two-day period of district-wide testing. SPS claims to have given 14,021 tests in all. Approximately 4% of them were found to be positive.
On Tuesday evening, a district representative informed CSU World Record of the results. According to the SPS statement, those who tested positive were sent home to isolate for ten days. According to the district, testing is encouraged but not mandatory for students to return to school.
“Test results are gathered and submitted to public health,” Beverly Redmond, assistant superintendent for public affairs, explained.
“While we have done throughout the epidemic, we seek counsel and assistance from our local and state public health agencies as our leaders carry out school operations.” This allows SPS to concentrate on providing kids with a high-quality learning experience in safe and inclusive environments.”
SPS stated that testing would continue at each school this week with parental agreement. Students can also take a test at one of the district’s regional testing centers, which are listed below:
South Shore PreK-8 is open from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and Meany Middle School is open from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. This comes at a time when both statewide and national COVID cases are on the rise.
Children account for 17.7 percent of COVID-19 cases in the United States, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Other states’ public schools are contemplating and executing a return to virtual learning.
Chris Reykdal, Washington’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, committed on Tuesday to maintain classrooms accessible for in-person learning across the state.
“Neither the State nor my office can provide closure.” We don’t expect anything from the Governor’s office. “So, we’re going to school, and we’re going to do it with our fantastic protocols,” Reykdal told CSU on Tuesday.
This comes as COVID cases in the state continue to climb, owing to the Omicron form.
On December 30, the Washington Department of Health revealed its most recent case-count totals, which included moreover 10,000 confirmed cases. On January 2, the figure had fallen to 6,037.
The American Academy of Pediatrics announced on Tuesday that children account for 17.7 percent of all COVID cases in the United States.
“Thank goodness; there’s a significant decoupling between instances and hospitalizations – so this remains a very low danger for kids, especially if they’re vaccinated,” Reykdal added.
While Reykdal does not foresee statewide legislation to ban in-person learning, he does say that owing to the increase in incidents, a few institutions around the state have embraced virtual learning this week.
He stated that if an outbreak occurs, local health authorities may continue to encourage schools to temporarily convert to virtual learning.
Due to COVID concerns, Seattle middle schools postponed their winter basketball season on Tuesday.
“As the number of cases increased, the DOH mandated an increase in testing for athletes, coaches, and team employees.” SPS will look into rescheduling the seasons and plans to continue these activities whenever we can completely comply with DOH criteria,” a spokeswoman told CSU on Tuesday.
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