On Sunday, Feb. 27, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the state’s school mask mandate would be lifted starting Wednesday, March 2, 2022. With this announcement, masks are no longer required on school buses or in the school setting for students, staff, and teachers. The mask mandate has also been lifted for childcare programs.
According to Tioga County’s Health Department, this decision comes after the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) updated their mask guidance.
School districts are now following the New Masking Guidance Update released from New York State’s Department of Health (NYSDOH) on March 1, 2022. In this guidance, NYSDOH notes that masks are still required upon returning to school for those who test positive for COVID-19 on days six through ten. Regardless of one’s vaccination status, the NYSDOH still recommends wearing a mask for 10 days after a known exposure to a positive case.
If a student or staff member has a known exposure to a positive case while at school, the brief wrote, districts should notify the affected individuals or their parent / guardian of their exposure.
The health department continued, “Schools are still encouraged to improve ventilation, encourage vaccination, conduct surveillance testing, and provide access to free testing.”
The NYSDOH recommends that students, staff and teachers continue wearing a mask if they feel more comfortable for personal reasons. They should also wear a mask if they know they were in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. Those who are immunocompromised should discuss the need to wear a mask with their healthcare provider and continue to take extra precautions.
Anyone who is symptomatic, regardless of vaccination status, should stay home until they test negative, or for five days from symptom onset. Exposed students, staff and teachers may remain in school as long as they are wearing a well-fitting mask and undergo recommended testing.
If a cluster of new COVID-19 infections is identified within a school, Tioga County Public Health stated they would work with the school district on mitigation measures to prevent further spread of the virus.
Parents and guardians who have questions should refer to their school district’s website to view updated information specific to their school’s mask policy.
Tioga County Public Health will continue to monitor and be vigilant about COVID-19 cases and will identify clusters if they develop in the community or in a school, they concluded in their brief.
In the meantime, the COVID-19 case breakdown in Tioga County from February 23, 2022 – March 1, 2022 (data does not include positive at-home tests), is as follows.
According to the department there were 52 new cases during this time frame and three hospitalizations. There are currently 18 active cases.
New York State Case Investigators are now conducting abbreviated interviews with positive cases and do not ask about vaccination status (among other questions) when conducting their interview.
To find a vaccination location, visit www.vaccines.gov. You can find testing locations at https://get-tested-covid19.org/, or visit the New York State Dashboard at https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-testing-tracker.
You can also find more information from Tioga County Public Health by visiting ph.tiogacountyny.gov or www.facebook.com/tiogacountypublichealth.
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