Old habits die hard. And in the case of mostly useless COVID-19 protocols, they’re indestructible.
The Philadelphia public school system sent a letter to parents, outlining its revised pandemic policies for the school year. The striking thing about it is the district is ignoring the guidance from on high — the CDC — and just making stuff up as they go along.
The CDC just posted its revised health and safety protocols for schools, and it recommends that masks be optional in most cases. The CDC also recommend that social distancing be eliminated and an end to quarantining after being exposed to COVID.
But the Philly schools will ignore much of that and instead institute their own guidelines.
The School District of Philadelphia is mandating that students and staff wear masks for the first 10 days of the school year, and is requiring that pre-kindergarten attendees mask-up all year.
Officials from the school district and city made the announcement in a letter to parents on Friday, stating that after the first 10 days of the school year, from Aug. 29 through Sept. 9, most schools will go mask-optional.
The letter states that when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 community transmission level is high, students and staff will be required to wear masks in schools. When the level is medium, masking is “strongly recommended.”
Currently, there are no “high levels of community transmission” in Philadelphia that would trigger mandatory masking. But masks will be required for the first 10 days of school “because of summer gatherings,” according to the letter. There is nothing in the CDC guidance about masking up due to summer activities.
What’s mind-numbingly stupid is the requirement that 3-5-year-old kids mask up regardless of the level of community transmission. The kids least likely to contract COVID-19 will be burdened with wearing a mask all year regardless of whether the virus is present or not.
Jesus, please save us from addle-brained bureaucrats.
Related: Leftists Face No Consequences for COVID Policies That Harmed Kids
Officials also said that masking may be required in certain instances, like a school or classroom outbreak or after extended breaks.
School medical officer Dr. Kendra McDow also detailed another big change about COVID exposure.
“We are implementing mask to stay. Students and staff who have been exposed to COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status, are no longer required to quarantine at home unless COVID-like symptoms are present,” McDow said. “Instead, they may return to school but are required to wear a high-quality, well-fitted mask for 10 days.”
But that’s not what the guidance says in the letter the school district sent out.
“If a student tests positive, he or she must isolate at home for at least five days and do virtual learning. If the student is symptom-free after five days they can return to school but must wear a high-quality mask for five days and eat in a designated area,” the letter stated.
One public health expert thinks the guidelines are ludicrous. Fox Health Contributor Dr. Marc Siegel says, “The whole thing is, mandates aren’t working at all. So, you know, they just obscure the question about whether there’s any public health value in actually doing any of this. I mean, I think if you’re at a high risk, there is. So if I was in an area with a lot of spread, and I was at high risk, I might choose to wear a mask indoors. But there’s no evidence that these mandates are doing anything.”
When did “no evidence” stop public schools from keeping children on a leash?
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