As more kids return to the classroom, Columbus Public Health and Franklin County Public Health are joining the Central Ohio Superintendents Association to remind our community of the importance of following all health and safety protocols in order to keep children healthy and in school.
According to our partners at The Ohio State University College of Public Health, the 7-day case rate remains above 100 cases per 100,000 for most school districts in Franklin County and trends in the case rate among 15-17 years old show this rate to be consistently higher than for adults (23+) from February and March.
“Case numbers continue to trend down in our community overall and we are happy that children are back in the classroom where they can learn and thrive best,” says Columbus Public Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts. “However cases in Franklin County went up by 1.4% after 6 consecutive weeks of a decline. Teachers, administrators and school staff have done their part by getting vaccinated, but we need parents to help too so that we can keep numbers moving in the right direction and keep kids in school.”
To help keep kids in the classroom, parents are asked to:
- Keep kids at home if they are showing any symptoms. Children often have mild symptoms, so what seems like allergies could be COVID-19.
- Follow all quarantine guidance.
- Follow all state and local guidelines about sports and extracurricular activities to assure they can keep playing.
- Get the COVID vaccine when it is your turn to protect yourself and your family.
- Wear a mask, even after you are vaccinated.
- Social distance and avoid gatherings with others outside your household.
- Wash your hands.
“In addition to getting vaccinated and adhering to our mitigation strategies, we also need our residents to continue to follow isolation and quarantine guidance as directed by public health or your school,” said Franklin County Health Commissioner Joe Mazzola. “We understand people are tired, but as new variants emerge, we must remain committed to following these guidelines to keep our kids in school, our businesses open and our families safe.”
“Together, all central Ohio school communities have the opportunity to help keep our kids in school by diligently masking up, backing up, and washing up,” said Michael Sawyers, president of the Central Ohio Superintendents Association.
For more information and to find a COVID-19 vaccine near you, visit columbus.gov/coronavirus, covid-19.myfcph.org or coronavirus.ohio.gov.