by J.D. Davidson
More school districts around Ohio continue to drop mask mandates in favor of optional policies as the number of COVID-19 cases has dropped over the past month.
The Ohio Department of Health also has relaxed its quarantine recommendations for students and student-athletes, with the idea of reducing what the state is calling unintended consequences of out-of-school quarantining.
Those consequences, ODH Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said, place added strain on parents, schools and local health departments.
“While vaccination and masking remain critical components of ensuring a safe school environment, to support in-school learning, we offer an in-school alternative to out-of-school quarantining for students and school staff exposed to COVID-19 in school settings and during school-related activities,” Vanderhoff said Monday. “Those exposed outside of school-related activities, such as in the household, should continue to follow standard quarantine guidelines.”
The state plans to let people exposed to COVID-19 in a school setting wear a mask for 14 days after exposure rather than spend time in quarantine. It also recommended self- or parent-monitoring, testing if symptoms appear and all procedures can stop after seven days with no symptoms and a negative test.
ODH also released new recommendations for extracurricular activities that include wearing a mask during transportation, in lock rooms or on the sidelines if a person has been exposed. The guidelines also include testing after an initial exposure and another test five to seven days after exposure.
The state’s most-recent COVID-19 case spike hit 8,447 daily cases Sept. 17. Cases have consistently fallen since, reaching a low of 2,325 on Monday with a seven-day daily average of 3,526.
The state hit a low of 147 daily cases June 28, before numbers steadily grew throughout July, August and part of September.
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J.D. Davidson is a veteran journalist at The Center Square with more than 30 years of experience in newspapers in Ohio, Georgia, Alabama and Texas. He has served as a reporter, editor, managing editor and publisher.
Photo “Students Wearing Their Masks” by Ohio County Schools.
