Important Update
Monday, February 28, 2022
Hey Warriors, it is time for a very important video update.
The pandemic has challenged public schools like no other event in recent history. Together we have weathered a storm and it appears that things are beginning to change. Starting on Tuesday, March 1st the Portage Community School District will be adopting the CDC’s new metric for masking guidance based on Community Levels. Currently the Community Level designation for Columbia County is Low. This means that masking across the district is recommended but will be optional as long as we remain in the Low or Medium Levels of the metric. This represents a major change, so I would like to provide you with a little context.
On Friday, February 25th the CDC issued new guidance in regard to masking indoors. Essentially, they have shifted the framework for advising people when to mask with a new metric. In the past, the masking guidelines relied entirely on case counts, and those counts were very high across the entire United States. However, a lot of people now have immunity through vaccination or prior infection which means that the risk of severe disease is much lower, and even though there are still high case counts, very few people are ending up in the hospital. The new metric still factors in case counts, but puts a higher emphasis on what is happening in hospitals at the local level. In order to make sure that hospitals aren’t being overwhelmed the new metric takes into account COVID admissions and hospital capacity as well. This new direction shifts to what they are really trying to control which is severe disease, hospitalization, and death.
In counties where the risk level is lower, masking indoors is no longer necessary. The CDC says that universal masking indoors is only necessary when a community is at the High Level. The switch reverses their prior guidance which recommended universal masking in schools. From their standpoint it makes sense to have the same guidance for kids and adults since children are at much lower risk for severe disease from COVID.
The new metric which the PCSD is adopting uses the CDC’s three data points, and the COVID-19 Community Level is then classified as Low, Medium, or High. The CDC explains the levels like this: At the low level, there is limited impact on the healthcare system and low amounts of severe disease in the community. People should stay up to date with their vaccines and get tested if they’re sick. At the medium level, more people are experiencing severe disease in the community and they’re starting to see more impact on the healthcare system. At this level, the CDC recommends that people who are at high risk, such as someone who is immunocompromised, should talk to their healthcare provider about taking additional precautions and may choose to wear a mask. As communities enter into the high level, there are high amounts of people experiencing severe disease and high potential for healthcare systems strains. Universal masking at this level is recommended.
Additionally, the CDC has clarified that the TSA mask mandate for public transportation does not apply to public or private school buses.
The decision to update our masking metric will impact our students, staff, and community in different ways. While many will welcome the opportunity to remove their masks, it is important to remember that there are still others who are apprehensive to do so. It is important as we make this change to remember kindness and compassion for everyone. There are many reasons why people may choose to continue masking indoors: Personal preference, those who are immunocompromised or have underlying conditions, those with disabilities, or those who live with people who are at risk. Everyone has the opportunity to choose which precautions they take and we should support their decisions.
Dialing back one of our mitigation strategies means that we must be even more vigilant when it comes to the others. It is extremely important that everyone continues to monitor their health using the daily screener and must stay home and get tested if they are experiencing symptoms. Our testing services are available 5 days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the high school. A renewed emphasis on personal hygiene, such as washing hands and sneezing or coughing into the elbow will also continue to be very important. If you do test positive for Covid 19 isolating for 5 days at home is still in place and wearing a mask when you return to school for an additional 5 days is recommended by the CDC. If you do not want to wear a mask after the 5 day isolation period, you have the choice to remain in isolation for the full 10 days before returning to school.
Hopefully we are at the "beginning of the end" of this long event. We are cautiously optimistic but will continue to monitor using our updated metric. Thank you for your continued support of the Portage Community School District.
As always remember to take care of yourself, take care of each other and Go Warriors!
Video Update 2 28 2022
CDC COVID-19 by County
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