Los Angeles Public Schools requires weekly COVID tests regardless of vaccination status

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The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) announced a new policy this week that requires every student, teacher, and employee who returns to campus to participate in weekly COVID-19 testing, regardless of vaccination status.

LAUSD, the nation’s second largest public school system, has about 75,000 employees serving more than 600,000 students from kindergarten through 12th grade. It had previously required testing for coronavirus only for those who had not been fully vaccinated. Children under 12 years of age are not yet eligible for vaccination.

Interim supervisor Megan K. Riley news in a letter to parents on Thursday.

“As part of our efforts to maintain a safer environment for students and staff, we are closely monitoring evolving health conditions and adapting our response in preparation for our full return to in-person learning on August 16,” Riley wrote.

“All students and staff, both vaccinated and non-vaccinated, returning for in-person instruction must participate in basic and ongoing weekly COVID testing,” she continued. “This is in accordance with the latest guidance from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.”

The Los Angeles Times noted that “the county health department does not require that those who are vaccinated be tested in schools, but is allowing local school systems to adopt a more stringent testing policy.”

Basic testing for return to campus begins on Monday, August 2nd.

According to The Times, the deadline for families to choose distance learning and stay off campus was Friday.

On Friday, county health officials reported 3,606 new cases of COVID-19, 991 patients hospitalized, and five deaths. The recent increase in transmission is attributed to the highly contagious delta variant.

Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Thursday that the department is not considering an order to close schools and emphasized that vaccination is the best strategy to reduce infection rates.

The latest data from the Ministry of Health indicates that 45.8% of children aged 12-15 years have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 58.3% of children aged 16-17 years have received at least one injection.

“It’s quite clear that vaccination rates among young adults across the board in Los Angeles County are much lower than they are for older adults, with more opportunities to mingle,” Ferrer said Thursday.

The Los Angeles Teachers’ Association (UTLA), the union that represents more than 33,000 employees in the area, issued a statement supporting the weekly test.

“Vaccines are like seat belts: Necessary but not impervious,” UTLA President Cecily Meyart-Cruz told the Los Angeles Times. “Just as we need seat belts, airbags and speed limits, we need masks, ventilation and testing to keep school communities safe.”

Interim Superintendent Riley said LAUSD officials believe the district “has the highest COVID safety standards of any public school district in the country.”

In addition to mandatory weekly testing, she stressed area mask requirements, physical distancing measures, improved air filtration systems, and comprehensive sanitation efforts, such as frequent hand washing.

RELATED: DeSantis Resists and Will Sign an Order Protecting Parental Rights on Children’s Masks

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