New York state will ease its COVID-19 rules for schools this fall as students and teachers return to the classroom in the coming weeks, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday. Officials plan to align New York’s pandemic rules for schools and other areas with updated guidelines released earlier this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The development means students will no longer have to “test to stay” if exposed to COVID-19. Classrooms with COVID exposure will not be sent home. Students with COVID symptoms will still be advised to test and wear a mask. Schools also expect to receive COVID tests to aid with the reopening of districts this fall. Officials at the same time also do not expect the state to require masking indoors when schools reopen.
All told, about 14 million tests are expected to be distributed to the more than 600 school districts in the state as classrooms work to return to a semblance of normalcy after more than two years of the pandemic. Hochul, at a news conference Monday, acknowledged the toll of remote learning on students, especially lower-income kids, during the pandemic and that it is something officials do not want to repeat.