Maricopa County Urges Reliance On Data In School Reopening Decisions

Published: Wednesday, July 22, 2020 - 3:24pm
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Maricopa County Public Health is making recommendations for how to hold school in the safest way possible if in-person instruction resumes soon.

Maricopa County doesn’t have the authority to tell schools when to reopen in-person. But Public Health medical director Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine says the agency can provide guidance for reducing risk and responding if a student were to become infected.

Sunenshine strongly recommends schools require face masks when students return to the classroom. The county also recommends schools take steps to keep students physically distanced, like having students eat lunch in small groups rather than large cafeterias.

“So everything’s on a scale and we’re here to say what’s the most risky, and how do you decrease that level of risk?” Sunenshine said in a conference with news media Wednesday. 

The county is holding webinars with school leaders on risk reduction recommendations. The county also is distributing some personal protective equipment to schools in the county.

“Our goal is that all schools have the equipment, processes and accurate information to address the potential of a student getting sick with COVID-19 symptoms while they’re in school,” Sunenshine said.  

Sunenshine said reopening criteria should be decided by health experts and educators and be based on disease transmission data, not just on a target start date.

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