MDH: Schools Need To Do More To Help Prevent the Spread of COVID

(KNSI) – Minnesota Health Officials are pushing schools to do more to help stop the spread of COVID-19 across the state. Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm says the cases among kids have been steadily growing.

“Since school started this fall we’ve seen an alarming rise in childhood cases, a subsequent rise in hospitalized children and children admitted into intensive care. We need all of our schools to implement key mitigation strategies so that children and school staff are not put at undue risk.”

Malcolm says those strategies include promoting vaccinations for all eligible kids age five and up, universal masking, social distancing, and having kids stay home when sick.

“Schools should implement a program for voluntary testing of unvaccinated students, teachers and staff. In addition, regular frequent testing of students in sports and other high risk extracurricular activities can help to reduce the spread. Schools should also develop a plan to support contact tracing and enforced quarantine recommendations made by health officials.”

Since the start of the school year, one student and eight school staff members have died from COVID-19. Malcolm says it’s up to everybody to do their part so students can keep learning no matter how worn out they feel.

“We are all beyond tired of this pandemic but, it is clearly not even close to over. We must take this pandemic seriously and prioritize our children’s health and education so they can continue with in person learning.”

Malcolm says kids don’t usually get seriously ill from COVID-19; however, they can spread the virus to adults and others in the community.

The COVID case count in Minnesota is among the largest in the country this week. COVID-19 is considered widespread in all but one Minnesota County, and that’s Lake of the Woods.

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