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The city Education Department has ended most Covid restrictions for students, although teachers still have to be vaccinated.
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Many teachers and families have been counting on the upcoming school year to bring a return to normalcy.
In New York City, as in many other parts of the country, the start of school on Sept. 8 may very well feel more like the days before the Covid-19 pandemic, as the school system rolls back restrictions, including an end to in-school PCR testing and the requirement that families fill out a daily health screening form.
The changes reflect the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s shift toward learning how to live with the virus, instead of allowing it to disrupt life. “We know that Covid-19 is here to stay,” Greta Massetti, a C.D.C. epidemiologist, said at a news briefing last week.
The new guidelines were posted on the Department of Education website a week after the C.D.C. loosened its own Covid-19 guidelines: The agency no longer recommends that people stay six feet away from others or that people who are exposed to Covid quarantine at home, although it recommends that they still wear a mask for 10 days.
After a wave earlier in the summer, coronavirus cases in New York City dropped 34 percent during the first two weeks of August, and hospitalizations decreased 22 percent over the same time period, according to The New York Times’s data dashboard.
But some pediatricians are concerned that the relaxing of Covid-19 restrictions in schools could lead to another surge.
“I think we are all expecting to see a lot more cases moving forward,” said Toni Eyssallenne, an internist and pediatrician for Strong Children’s Wellness, a Queens-based medical group.
Here’s the latest information about Covid-19 guidelines in the New York City public school system.
While vaccinations are required for polio, measles and mumps, Covid vaccinations will not be required to attend school. Around 61 percent of children ages 5 to 17 are fully vaccinated against Covid in New York City, and around 14 percent have received additional doses or boosters, according to city data.
However, Covid vaccination is required for students participating in certain extracurricular activities, including some sports.
Vaccination is also required for any visitors who enter a school and for teachers and other people who work in Education Department buildings.
What is monkeypox? Monkeypox is a virus similar to smallpox, but symptoms are less severe. It was discovered in 1958, after outbreaks occurred in monkeys kept for research. The virus was primarily found in parts of Central and West Africa, but recently it has spread to dozens of countries and infected tens of thousands of people, overwhelmingly men who have sex with men.
What are the symptoms? People who get sick commonly experience a fever, headache, back and muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, and exhaustion. A few days after getting a fever, most people also develop a rash that starts with flat red marks that become raised and filled with pus. On average, symptoms appear within six to 13 days of exposure, but can take up to three weeks.
How does it spread? The monkeypox virus can spread from person to person through close physical contact with infectious lesions or pustules, by touching items — like clothing or bedding — that previously touched the rash, or via the respiratory droplets produced by coughing or sneezing. Monkeypox can also be transmitted from mother to fetus via the placenta or through close contact during and after birth.
I fear I might have monkeypox. What should I do? There is no way to test for monkeypox if you have only flulike symptoms. But if you start to notice red lesions, you should contact an urgent care center or your primary care physician, who can order a monkeypox test. Isolate at home as soon as you develop symptoms, and wear high-quality masks if you must come in contact with others for medical care.
What is the treatment for monkeypox? If you get sick, the treatment for monkeypox generally involves symptom management. Tecovirimat, a hard-to-obtain antiviral drug also known as TPOXX, occasionally can be used for severe cases. The Jynneos vaccine, which protects against smallpox and monkeypox, can also help reduce symptoms, even if taken after exposure.
Who can get the vaccine? Jynneos vaccine is most commonly used to prevent monkeypox infections, and consists of two doses given four weeks apart. It has mostly been offered to health care workers and people who have had a confirmed or suspected exposure due to limited supplies, though new doses should become available in the coming months. A few states, including New York, have also made vaccines available among higher-risk populations.
I live in New York. Can I get the vaccine? Adult men who have sex with men and who have had multiple sexual partners in the past 14 days are eligible for a vaccine in New York City, as well as close contacts of infected people. Eligible people who have conditions that weaken the immune system or who have a history of dermatitis or eczema are also strongly encouraged to get vaccinated. People can book an appointment through this website.
Dr. Suzette Brown, a pediatrician and the co-founder of Strong Children Wellness, said that “relaxing the mandates puts a lot of imperative on vaccination,” and said the department should continue to encourage students to get vaccinated if it wasn’t going to continue other protective measures.
The Education Department “strongly” recommends that masks be worn when indoors, especially in crowded indoor settings, and will also make masks available at schools. But they are not required for most students.
Students who have tested positive will be required to wear masks upon returning to school on Days 6 through 10 after their positive test or onset of symptoms. Masks will also be required when visiting a school’s medical room, nurse’s office or school-based health center. Students and staff are encouraged to wear a mask when they are exposed to Covid-19 for 10 days.
People with compromised immunity are also encouraged to wear a mask.
In the past, families were required to answer a set of questions every school day asking whether they were experiencing Covid symptoms or had been exposed to the virus. This school year, the Education Department will end that requirement, although it encourages students and staff who show symptoms of Covid-19 or other illnesses to stay home.
Students and staff are encouraged to take two tests on Day 4 and Day 5 after their exposure, at least 24 hours apart. The Education Department’s guidelines reflect those of the C.D.C.: People who have been exposed should monitor their symptoms for 10 days and wear a mask for that time.
Schools will send students and staff home with four tests per month, down from two a week during the last school year. In addition, starting on the first day of school, students and staff with symptoms can ask for tests from their school. (Students and staff with symptoms are asked to stay home.)
The Education Department will not offer PCR testing inside schools.
The United Federation of Teachers, the teachers’ union, said that although the number of tests sent home was decreasing, the department had promised to provide a sufficient number for schools.
“As Covid changes as a disease, our responses also have to evolve,” said a spokeswoman for the union.
Students and staff must isolate for five days, and can return to school on the sixth day if they have no symptoms or if their symptoms have improved. Mask wearing is required until 10 days after the start of symptoms, or the date of their first positive test, depending on which happened first.
The Education Department encourages people to report their positive cases to their school. The Situation Room, which tracks Covid cases for the department, will notify school communities of cases in their schools through email and through a map of Covid cases in schools on the department website.
The department has distributed over 160,000 air purifiers — at least two in every classroom. Officials plan to monitor ventilation daily.
School Chancellor David Banks moved in August to spend $27 million on a contract to replace filters in the classroom air purifiers. The Department of Education has faced criticism in the past over filters, with an WNYC/Gothamist investigation finding that officials in the de Blasio administration had purchased inadequate filters.
Polio risk is low, because vaccination against polio is required to attend schools in New York State. Children under 5 and infants are most at risk of being infected by polio if they have not been vaccinated.
At least five children had been diagnosed with monkeypox by early August, but the illness has primarily spread among adults. Attending school is unlikely to put people at risk of a monkeypox exposure.
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