Chinanews.com, August 17. According to a comprehensive report by the Chinese website of the United States, the new school year is about to start, and the New York City Department of Education has updated the requirements for students and staff to prevent the new crown pneumonia epidemic.
Under the latest guidelines, the nation's largest university district, which serves roughly 1 million students, will no longer require daily health screenings and random PCR testing of students on campus. Instead, test kits will be sent home for students, Parents and teachers self-monitor after exposure to the virus.
Guidance issued Tuesday by the New York City Department of Education retains other epidemic prevention regulations, such as all teachers and contract employees must be vaccinated, and any other adults entering schools must show proof that they have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Students are not required to be vaccinated during class, but will still be required to show proof of vaccinations when participating in extracurricular activities, including high-risk Public School Athletic League (PSAL) sports.
The guidance strongly recommends that students and staff wear masks on campus and requires them to wear masks when they return to campus on days 6-10 after showing symptoms or testing positive.
In a statement, a spokesman for the teachers' union said: "As Covid-19 as a disease changes, so must our response. While the distribution of test kits to households has decreased, the Department of Education has informed us Guaranteed, additional kits can be made available to any school in need. We also urge parents to ensure they and all eligible children are vaccinated and boosted."
Students will return to school on September 8.