MEMPHIS, Tenn. —Schools across the Mid-South have either reopened are scheduled to open in the coming days. This school year is putting not just the students, but school and health officials to the test, as they learn more about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Germantown, Collierville, and Bartlett are some of those districts who welcomed students and staff back this past Monday. Now school officials working in tandem with health officials are trying to keep the students and faculty safe while combating COVID-19.
Dr. Alisa Haushalter, Shelby County Health Department Director, said the goal is to lessen the effects of the pandemic and come up with plans that would prevent schools and workplaces from having to come to a halt.
“I want to reduce the impact on a person’s ability to work, and for children’s ability to go to school,” Haushalter said. “We are more in what I call marathon mode. We are focused on living with COVID and reducing the impact on our community.”
Haushalter said COVID-19 has proven to be a test of endurance. Additionally, she said even if someone is doing the right things such as: wearing a mask and socially distancing, they too, may find themselves missing work or school because of who they may have come in contact with. She said people may have quarantine because of the actions from others can be inconvenient, but she said it is the only way things will get back to normal.
“We want to make sure we’re getting back to business, we’re getting back to work, we’re getting back to school. And we want to continue to strive to reduce transmission in our community,” Haushalter said.
Health experts say the everyday actions of people such as going to a park or shopping continue to play a vital role in making sure students can remain in the classroom. They also say it is what you could bring home, that will have an impact on whether school children will be confined at home for weeks at a time.
“A child who is a contact could actually miss up to 24 days of school because they have been in contact,” Haushalter said.
Health and school officials alike said this will be a test for them as the school year continues.
