SACRAMENTO (CBS SF) – State epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan described the K-6 state waiver procedure Tuesday seeking in-person courses, even if they are in a county on California’s COVID-19 coronavirus watch list.
Pan, the former Alameda County fitness officer, said K-6 schools can apply for an exemption to start training users if they are in a county that meets several criteria despite being on the state’s watch list.
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Individual schools should submit a site-specific plan to ensure the protection of academics and staff, taking into account contributions from teams of interest, such as unions and parent organisations.
These schools will need to publicly publish their plan and submit it to their local fitness officer to apply for an exemption.
California Department of Public Health officials will then review the application on a case-by-case basis, taking into account points such as policy signs such as coronavirus positivity rates in a given county.
All 11 counties in the greater Bay Area, from Monterey to Sonoma, are on the state’s monitoring list as of Tuesday.
State public physical fitness officials have revealed the main points of the waiver procedure “based on the evolution of evidence on how we know this virus is behaving in young people and the importance of face-to-face schooling for the little ones,” Pan said.
Students will be required to work in small groups to allow them the chance for social interaction while diminishing the chance they spread the virus to another student or a teacher.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and state public health officials have reiterated that schools in counties on the state’s watchlist must begin the fall semester without in-person classes unless they have a waiver.
State Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said parents who want their kids to attend classes in person during the fall semester should take heed of public health guidelines by wearing a mask, washing their hands and keeping their distance from others.
“We continue to learn from the science, we continue to learn from our own data how to stop the spread,” Ghaly said. “It really does come down to a few simple acts that can make a big difference.”