COLUMBUS, Ohio — It’s almost time to head back to school for Columbus City schools. The district said they are aware of the increase in COVID cases and are prepared for students to come back into the classroom.
“Even though the public health emergency for COVID-19 is over, the virus is here and it’s not expected to go away. I think we all know that. With the evolution of the virus, more variants are going to occur,” said Dr. Joe Gastaldo, infectious disease specialist for Ohio Health.
Dr. Gastaldo said it's no surprise COVID-19 cases are on the rise again. He said the new variant is causing the uptick and numbers could continue to rise.
“I won’t be a bit surprised if we see more COVID in the setting of kids going back to school,” said Dr. Gastaldo.
At Columbus City schools, they are monitoring the COVID-19 numbers.
Dr. Sara Bode, the medical consultant for the district, said parents play a big role in stopping the spread of the virus.
“COVID is always on everyone’s mind in general. As students come back to school, one of the things we talk to parents at the start is not bringing your child to school if they are sick,” said Dr. Bode.
Each school in the district has a nurse and the district has a health services team.
Dr. Bode said if a student comes into school with a cough or fever, they are automatically sent home. She said its important that families keep their kids home until they are 100% better.
“They really need to be, regardless of how many days, fever free and have improving symptoms before they return," she said.
Dr. Bode said they will be looking for trends in COVID-19 cases.
“We monitor the trends in each school building so if we do have a concern like multiple children out in a classroom or multiple staff out we can work alongside Columbus health,” said Dr. Bode.
Columbus City schools returns to the classroom on August 23rd.