BOISE, Idaho — As Idaho schools prepare for the return of students in less than a month, health districts are recommending that masks stick around.
South Central Public Health District, Central District Health and Southwest District Health urge school districts to utilize updated guidance from the CDC, which encourages all unvaccinated teachers, students and staff to wear a mask in the school setting.
“The CDC is trying to make it very clear that if you are vaccinated, you don't have to wear a mask, and so they are just extending that to our schools,” said Brianna Bodily, public information officer for South Central Public Health District.
Bodily said SCPHD works closely with the CDC as federal partners, and the district's guidance will always closely align with the CDC. She also said the health district has made its recommendations very clear to school districts for the upcoming year. However, many school boards haven’t decided what they will do.
“As we continue to talk to our school districts of this school year, what we see is a lot of concern of students mental health leading up to another school year, a great desire to keep students in school,” she said.
Bodily said South Central’s region is seeing a climbing death toll and hospitalization rate.
Central District Health said if students and teachers want in-person learning to stick around, so should masks for the unvaccinated. CDH said they've been in contact with school districts about their recommendations. They also urge school districts to continue social distancing, three feet or six feet apart when possible.
“There's only so many schools, maybe middle school and up, that have students 12-year-olds and older, so that leaves a lot of the population who are unable to get a vaccine and leaves them vulnerable to getting COVID,” said Alina Gilmore, public information technician for Central District Health.
CDH is going through the process of searching for the right candidate to fill their vacant doctor role on the Board of Health. Previous board member, Dr. Ted Epperly, received an email and letter telling him his last day would be June 30th, but he was not told why he was being forced out.
While the search continues for his replacement, Gilmore said CDH is confident that by taking guidance from the CDC and local health experts, they are making the right recommendations. Gilmore added, the district has staff with expertise, and epidemiologists who are looking at current data.
“We are looking at that data and we use that to make current health decisions and having a doctor on board helps further that information and give more recommendations as to what they are seeing in their field,” said Gilmore.
Both Bodily and Gilmore expressed concern over the rising case counts of COVID-19 and the delta variant.
“What we are very concerned about is that kids will spread this delta variant or any other version of the virus to each other, and it will spread like wildfire,” Bodily said.
CDH will release multiple documents with guidance for school districts the week of June 26.
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