Omicron outbreak: Schools and workplaces in the United States extend their holiday break in response to an increase in COVID-19 cases
Because of the surge in COVID-19 cases, some school districts in the United States extended their holiday break or returned to online instruction on Monday, while others continued with in-person classes amid a growing sense that Americans will have to learn to coexist with the virus.
School districts in New York, Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit, and elsewhere found themselves in a difficult position midway through the academic year due to the super-contagious omicron variant, caught between pleas from teachers fearful of infection and pleas from parents who want their children in the class.
The nation’s largest school system, New York City, reopened classrooms to approximately 1 million students with a stockpile of take-home COVID-19 test kits and plans to double the number of random tests done in schools.
“We will be safe, and we will be open to educating our children,” said newly sworn-in Mayor Eric Adams on MSNBC. Trisha White, a New Yorker, believes that the risk for her 9-year-old son is the same whether he is in or out of school, and that being with classmates is far better for him than remote learning.
“He could get the virus outside of school,” she explained as she handed the boy over. “So, what are your options? I wouldn’t hold it against the school system. They’re giving it their all.”
While the teachers’ union asked the mayor to postpone in-person learning for a week, city officials have long maintained that mask requirement, testing, and other safety measures ensure that children are safe in school. Employees are also required to be vaccinated by the city.
Weekend garbage collection in New Orleans was delayed, and jury trials in several Colorado counties were halted. Some libraries on Long Island, New York, and a ski resort in New Hampshire were forced to close.
Dawn Crawley, CEO of House Cleaning Heroes, a cleaning service based in Herndon, Virginia, said she had to cancel four of 20 cleaning jobs scheduled for Tuesday due to the illness of four employees. COVID-19 is one of three. “The fear is that it will spread throughout the team,” she said, as well as among customers.
Policymakers and health officials have been mindful of the economic and educational costs. According to public health experts, eradicating the virus is unlikely, and the world will instead have to find a way to keep COVID-19 at an acceptable level, as it does with the flu.
After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reduced the recommended COVID-19 isolation period from 10 to five days last week, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky stated, “We want to make sure there is a mechanism by which we can safely continue to keep society functioning while following the science.”
Another development on Monday that may have an impact on schools’ ability to remain open was the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of Pfizer booster shots for children as young as 12. Boosters are already recommended for anyone over the age of 16.
In other news, the Los Angeles Unified School District announced Monday that schools will now reopen on January 11 due to the rise in omicron. In addition, the district’s 600,000 students and approximately 73,000 employees will be required to show a negative COVID-19 test result in order to enter campus. The district will provide a testing location as well as take-home test kits.
Syracuse, New York, canceled classes on Monday due to an increase in the number of infections and a shortage of substitute teachers.
Because of rising cases among staff members, Wisconsin’s 75,000-student Milwaukee school system will return to virtual instruction on Tuesday. The district stated that it plans to resume in-person classes on January 10. The Madison, Wisconsin, the school district has also announced a shift to virtual learning, which will begin on Thursday.
Because of a high rate of infection among employees, which could lead to the widespread spread of COVID-19 and? excessive staff shortages,? Detroit School Superintendent Nikolai Vitti informed parents that there will be no in-person or online learning until Wednesday.
The roughly 350,000 students in the Chicago public school system have returned, but a disagreement between district leaders and the teachers union over safety measures may cause disruptions later this week. The union has stated that it will vote on remote teaching in the nation’s third-largest district on Tuesday.
The Peoria School District in Illinois extended the winter break by one week. Schools in Davenport, Iowa, surprised parents early Monday by canceling all classes for the day due to a shortage of bus drivers, which was blamed in part on COVID-19.
As classrooms reopened on time, Minnesota educators braced for an increase in cases. “From what I’ve heard from superintendents, they’re concerned about omicron,” said Bob Indihar, executive director of the Minnesota Rural Education Association. ? It appears to be the new normal that changes will occur, and quarantines and people being thrown out are now just a part of the process. “Districts are taking it in stride.”
The sudden return to virtual learning, according to the president of the National Parents Union, a network of parent organizations, is an “abomination.”
“Once again, parents are scrambling at the last minute, and, worse, far too many children are missing out on an in-person learning experience, which is critical for their academic and social-emotional development,” Keri Rodrigues said in a statement.
