New York State to distribute tests, masks as kids return to school amid rise in COVID cases
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the state would be distributing masks and COVID-19 tests to school districts as school reopens amid a rise in virus cases. Credit: Newsday/Reggie Lewis
As students return to the classroom this week amid a rise in COVID-19 positivity rates statewide, Gov. Kathy Hochul Tuesday announced the state would make rapid testing kits and N-95 and KN-95 masks available to school districts and BOCES upon request.
But unlike the early days of the pandemic, masks are no longer required in schools for students or staff, and all COVID-related restrictions and mandates have been lifted.
“Thanks to the hard work of New York schools, teachers, and parents, we have come a long way to ensure students can safely return to the classroom,” Hochul said in a statement. “Frequent testing for COVID-19 is an important part of keeping our kids safe and preventing an outbreak.”
David Wicks, superintendent of Eastern Suffolk BOCES, said he will be seeking both testing kits and masks.
"If you do get the virus and you go through the period where you need to be away from folks, it is recommended that you [wear] masks when you come back to those public spaces," Wicks said. "So we want to make sure people are able to do that and make sure there aren't any barriers to people having those resources."
Superintendent of Levittown schools Todd Winch said in an email: "We are currently looking at our inventory of these items to see what our needs are. We are always willing to accept needed items that benefit our community, especially when they come at no cost to our taxpayers."
Nassau BOCES spokeswoman Angela Marshall said it would "survey our component districts and assist in the state’s effort to distribute testing kits and masks to any district that requests them."
The governor's announcement comes as the highly mutated Omicron variant BA. 2.86, also known as Pirola, has been detected in New York City's sewage.
In an Aug. 23 risk assessment, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers said the strain may be “more capable of causing infection in people who have previously had COVID-19 or who have received COVID-19 vaccines,” though there was no evidence it caused more severe illness.
The COVID-19 positivity rate on Long Island, meanwhile, continues to exceed the statewide average.
The seven-day average on Sept. 2 in Nassau County was 18.9% and 18% in Suffolk County, compared to 12.9% statewide, according to State Health Department data.
"As we start the new school year, and once again see an uptick in COVID-19 across the state, I urge all students, teachers and parents to remember COVID tests are easy to use as well as highly accurate," said State Health Commissioner James McDonald.
To prevent the spread of COVID, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that schools:
- Promote vaccination and testing
- Encourage students, teachers, and faculty to stay home if they are sick and exhibiting symptoms of the virus
- Optimize ventilation and continue improvements to indoor air quality to reduce the risk of germs and contaminants spreading through the air
- Teach and reinforce proper handwashing and hygiene practices
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
