New York, Aug 23 : New York state has announced that it will relax certain Covid-19 control regulations for students from kindergarten through the 12th grade in the upcoming school year.The new guidelines will ensure that the state’s Covid-19 prevention rules with the most current guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) according to Xinhua news agency.
“The major news is that there will be no further quarantining, and no tests-to-stay or the days of sending a whole class home for a single student who was symptomatic or tested positive the days of that are gone,” Governor Kathy Hochul stated in a statement released on Monday.
Staff and students don’t need to be quarantined following exposure to people with Covid however, they are advised to wear a well-fitting face mask and have their blood tested as per New York State authorities.
But, “students and staff with symptoms of digestive or respiratory illnesses such as fever, cough or vomiting, sore throat, or diarrhoea, should be sent home , or told to stay at home” The New York State Department of Heath stated in an announcement on frequently asked questions in this area.
Following the recommendations of the CDC, New York State has also stopped suggesting screening tests which is essentially random testing is available for those who do not have any symptoms.
Yet, some schools could continue to request screening tests in high-risk areas.
The government will continue to provide testing kits to pupils in conjunction with efforts to promote vaccination of children in school.
New York State now has 16.64 cases for every 100,000 individuals with the percentage of positive tests for Covid-19 at 7.74 percent according to the data released on Monday.
