COVID-19 Mitigation Guidance Updated Again By County Health Department

The Bucks County Health Department has again updated it’s COVID-19 mitigation measures and masking guidance for schools after previous plans received pushback from the acting state health secretary.

The new guidance issued by the health department and Director Dr. David Damsker, a public health expert, falls in line with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

The new guidelines replace recommendations that were issued last Sunday and revised last Tuesday.

The updated guidance calls for masking of students, staff, and visitors when indoors and on school transportation. It also calls for 3-feet of physical distancing in classrooms, schools working with the county health department on contact tracing, no restrictions for fully vaccinated students who are taking part in sports, and that everyone who can gets vaccinated.

While kids over the age of 12 can get vaccinated, those under that age are unable to get vaccinated for COVID-19 at this point.

The previous change to guidance called for requiring students to wear masks in school. The initial guidance said schools should adopt a “mask-optional” policy.

The county health department’s recommendations have played a major role in schools’ COVID-19 mitigation decisions for upcoming classes.

The county had said it can’t mandate schools require to masking. While the state has released recommendations, it has not mandated masking.

Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam wrote a letter to county leaders that the previous county health department guidance had disregarded “evidence-based public health practices.” It called the messaging “alarming” and that it could leave school leaders unprepared to deal with COVID-19 in schools, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“While much of our previous guidance was in sync with the CDC, this guidance will serve to strengthen that connection,” the updated guidance said.

There was first backlash against Damsker and the county health department when it recommended leaving masking up to the districts. There was then backlash from some parents who don’t want their kids wearing masks when it was recommended by the county that sudents wear them in school.

Damsker’s guidance on masking led to a heated public comment period at the Bucks County Commissioners meeting last week.

School leaders were briefed on the updated guidance from the county on Monday.

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Below is the new guidance:

The Bucks County Health Department (BCHD) wants our schools to be safe, healthy, open, and able to provide a quality in-person education. Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), we know students benefit from in-person learning, and safely returning to in-person instruction in the fall 2021 is a priority. Effective immediately, the BCHD will issue COVID-19 mitigation recommendations consistent with CDC and the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PADOH).

Pursuant to clarification sent by Pennsylvania’s Acting Secretary of Health Alison V. Beam, JD, the BCHD makes the following recommendations to Bucks County schools, based on current transmission levels in Bucks County. While much of our previous guidance was in sync with the CDC, this guidance will serve to strengthen that connection. Please note, what follows is only a summary of key points from the CDC. The full set of CDC and PADOH guidance can be found at these links CDC and PADOH, respectively. The following recommendations replace previously issued BCHD school guidance.

VACCINES

• All eligible individuals 12 years of age and older should get vaccinated.
• School districts should consider mandating vaccination for all school staff and teachers, a position supported by the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers.

MASKS/FACE COVERINGS

• All individuals (students, teachers, staff, visitors) should wear masks in schools K-12 to begin the school year regardless of vaccination status.

• Individuals do not need to wear masks when outdoors.

• Per the CDC order on wearing masks on public transportation, regardless of the school mask policy, masks are required to be worn by passengers and drivers on school buses.

PHYSICAL DISTANCING

• The CDC recommends maintaining at least 3 feet of physical distance between students in classrooms, with additional layered mitigation efforts employed if distance recommendations would prevent a school from fully reopening.

TESTING

• Any individuals who have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 should be referred for COVID-19 testing.

ISOLATION/QUARANTINE

• Whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, any individual who tests positive for COVID-19 must isolate for 10 days as both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals can transmit the virus during that time.

REPORTING

• Parents should report positive COVID-19 cases to schools. Schools are required to report cases to the BCHD.

CONTACT TRACING

• Per the PADOH, schools should continue to work closely with BCHD to complete contact tracing for individuals diagnosed or exposed to COVID-19. As part of the contact tracing process, the PADOH and BCHD will continue to work with schools to gather information about potential close contacts.
• CDC guidance adds the following exception to the definition of close contact:
  • In the K–12 indoor classroom setting, the close contact definition excludes students who were within 3 to 6 feet of an infected student (laboratory-confirmed or a clinically compatible illness) where:
    • both students were engaged in consistent and correct use of well-fitting face masks; and
    • other K–12 school prevention strategies (such as universal and correct mask use, physical distancing, increased ventilation) were in place in the K–12 school setting.
    • This exception does not apply to teachers, staff, or other adults in the indoor classroom setting.

SPORTS AND EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

• Per CDC guidance, individuals who are fully vaccinated no longer need to wear masks or physically distance when participating in sports and extracurricular activities.
• CDC recommends K-12 schools implement prevention strategies, including masking and physical distancing, during sports and extracurricular activities for participants who are not fully vaccinated.

OTHER MITIGATION PRACTICES

• Screening testing, ventilation, handwashing and respiratory etiquette, staying home when sick and getting tested, contact tracing in combination with quarantine and isolation, and cleaning and disinfection are also important layers of prevention to keep schools safe.

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