Mask mandate remains for BG schools
A mask mandate will remain in place for Bowling Green City Schools, as the Ohio Department of Health released new guidance in regards to contact tracing.
In an email on Friday, Superintendent Francis Scruci said that Wood County superintendents and nurses met with the Wood County Health Department to fully understand the guidance.
He said that Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, director of Ohio Department of Health, in a letter to all local health departments and K-12 Superintendents, emphasized that we are still in a pandemic. His concern remains with the quick spread of the omicron variant and its rapid clinical course which makes universal contact tracing, case investigation and exposure notification impractical when combined with newly reduced timelines for quarantine and isolation.
The department recommends that local health departments shift from universal contact tracing, case investigation and exposure notification to a cluster or outbreak-based model. This strategy prioritizes people in high-risk settings, such as congregate residential settings (e.g., shelters, correctional facilities, and nursing homes) or for certain circumstances such as outbreaks or clusters in specific settings or in relation to initial cases or clusters associated with new variants, as appropriate.
Schools may discontinue universal contact tracing but are expected to assist health departments with contact tracing, case investigation and exposure notification related to outbreaks or clusters in schools. K-12 schools should continue to follow ODH’s protocol, Mask to Stay, Test to Play, and allow asymptomatic students to attend school while wearing a mask if they have been exposed to someone with COVID-19.
ODH also will change the school case reporting cadence to weekly. Schools should report positive student and staff cases to their health departments by close of business on Fridays. This will begin Feb. 4.
Bowling Green parent will no longer be receiving emails/letters informing of positive cases.
The district will not be contact tracing unless there is an outbreak.
Masks will still be required at all times with the exception of lunch.
“We anticipate sharing more information/resources from the Wood County Health Department that we have been told will be given to us next week,” Scruci said.
Forecast
Hazardous weather outlook: There exists the potential for a significant and long duration winter storm to impact the region during the middle to end of this week. Details in forecast track, precipitation types and exact amounts are still emerging at this time. Confidence is increasing on high precipitation amounts across the region. If the system favors a milder track for the area, there may be more rainfall and flooding concerns. If the system favors a colder track, there may be heavy snow.
Today: Patchy fog before 10 a.m. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 29. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19. South wind 5 to 9 mph.
Tuesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43. South wind 10 to 14 mph. Rain likely before 5 a.m., then rain and snow likely. Cloudy, with a low around 34. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
Extended: Rain and snow Wednesday. High near 38. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Snow at night. Low around 21. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Snow likely Thursday, mainly before 1 p.m. Cloudy, with a high near 24. Chance of precipitation is 70%. A chance of snow showers before 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy at night, with a low around 7. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Partly sunny Friday, with a high near 17. Partly cloudy at night, with a low around -1. Mostly sunny Saturday, with a high near 19.
