COVID-19, influenza and strep throat outbreaks forcing closures and cancellations across the country: report

23 August 2023

Kentucky's Lee County school district has "canceled in-person classes" through the end of this week due to concurrent outbreaks of COVID-19, influenza, and strep throat, NBC News' Maia Pandey reports.

Lee's "under 900 students began classes on August 9th but noticed attendance drop to about 82% on Friday, according to Superintendent Earl Ray Schuler. By Monday, that rate dipped to 81% and 14 staff members called in sick," Pandey writes.

"The district canceled classes Tuesday and Wednesday and will shift to remote learning on Thursday and Friday. Extracurricular activities, including sports practices and games, have been canceled through the week to allow for a deep clean of the school," Pandey notes, adding that Schuler told her that "we're sanitizing our buses and our buildings and giving our staff and our students time to heal."

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Kentucky is not the only region amending their schedules because of a resurgence of the coronavirus.

"The number of COVID-19 cases has climbed for several weeks, with health authorities saying they're tracking the spread of three new variants. As a result, some businesses and other institutions are again requiring people to wear masks, which have proved an effective tool for slowing the spread of the virus," CBS News' Megan Cerullo explains.

"Like vaccine requirements, cities and states have widely dropped mask mandates as COVID rates have dropped since peaking in 2022. In February, for example, New York state dropped a requirement that face coverings be worn even in health care settings, in line with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, after most other local businesses had already nixed mandates voluntarily," Cerullo says. "Morris Brown College in Atlanta this week announced that the small liberal arts school is reinstating its mask mandate for two weeks, citing COVID cases among students. As of Tuesday, the school required that all students and staff members wear masks, according to a statement from college president Dr. Kevin James. The college is also imposing restrictions on event sizes, including parties, and resuming efforts to trace infections."

Cerullo points out that "the latest CDC data shows that COVID-19 hospitalizations are up 30% across Georgia, driven by the spread of new variants."

Cerullo continues, "In California, with cases of the virus rising in Los Angeles, movie studio Lionsgate is reinstating an in-office mask mandate at its Santa Monica headquarters, Deadline first reported. Lionsgate said a number of employees had recently tested positive for COVID-19, according to the report."

Cerullo adds, "Lionsgate is also reviving other safety measures. All employees are required to perform a self-screening for COVID symptoms daily before reporting to the office, according to Deadline. Employees with symptoms, or those who have recently returned from international travel, are asked to stay home and notify the company's response manager, the publication reported, citing an internal company email."

View Pandey's article at this link. Cerullo's analysis is here.

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