St. Mary schools will stay with current COVID protocols

St. Mary Parish public schools will continue with their current protocols for students and staff members who have been exposed to COVID-19, Superintendent Dr. Teresa Bagwell said in an email this week.
The Louisiana Department of Health last week issued new guidelines for schools with additional options designed to keep more students in class through testing and mask requirements.
Bagwell said Friday that she talked with Lydia Duval, the district’s nurse facilitator, about the new options.
“At this time, the school system will continue to employ the protocols we have in place as we have experienced success in conservatively quarantining only those who meet the stipulations of close contact in consideration of their vaccination status,” Bagwell wrote.
“Throughout this pandemic, we have cautiously monitored and responded to any person exhibiting symptoms or who reports having close contact with an individual known to be Covid-19 positive and as a result, have been able to keep our schools operational for in-person learning.
“As cases are diminishing, we are looking forward to gradually returning schools to near normal and reinstituting social activities that are long-held traditions especially at the high school level.”
Last year, the state gave schools an alternative to a total mask requirement: quarantining students and faculty members for five days after exposure to COVID, in agreement with Centers for Disease Control guidelines. Vaccinated students and staff members are exempt from the quarantine but are required to wear masks for 10 days after an exposure.
Last week, the Louisiana Department of Health offered further alternatives for K-12 schools. The new guidelines allow unvaccinated students and staff members to return to school without quarantine after being exposed, but require two tests within five days and masks for 10 days.
As the pandemic enters its third year, public health and education officials have become increasingly concerned about the impact of lost classroom time on academic development, socialization and the delivery of services such as nutrition, health care and counseling.
The new Health Department guidance comes as the fifth surge in COVID-19 cases, fueled by the rapidly transmissible omicron variant, continues to wane.
On Monday, the Louisiana Office of Public Health reported 2,029 new COVID cases statewide, about a seventh of the number of daily new cases during the winter’s omicron peak. The OPH reported that 731 COVID-positive people were in Louisiana hospitals, about a third of the highest number during the omicron surge.
In St. Mary, the pandemic case count was at 12,385 Monday. The OPH said the pandemic death toll for the parish is at 253, including 23 since Jan. 1.