The Ellis County Health Department issued the following statement to parents of school-aged children on Thursday afternoon:
Dear K-12 Parents,
With the current rise of cases that we are seeing in our community, I am asking for your help. Our local schools have gone above and beyond to implement and maintain safety protocols inside our schools to allow for continued on-site education for our children. With this new rise and the upcoming holidays, please keep some guidelines in mind. If your child is sick, do not send them to school. If someone in the household is awaiting test results for COVID-19, do not send any of your children to school. If your child is currently asymptomatic but you are planning to have them tested for COVID-19 in the next two days, do not send them to school. This will remove subsequent quarantine from a positive test. If you are notified that your child is a close contact of a positive case, please comply with the quarantine. I understand that finding daycare or taking off of work is always difficult, but we must comply with these standards to continue on-site education.
Our county’s COVID-19 Response Group, which includes school administrators for all K-12 schools, Hays Medical Center administrators and physicians and myself, meets on a weekly basis. We only desire to provide a safe environment for all students and staff to learn and succeed in an on-site learning environment. Please help us to preserve the current “new normal” so that we may continue on-site learning.
- Do NOT gather in groups.
- Do social distance.
- Do wash your hands frequently.
- Do wear a mask if you cannot socially distance.
- Do isolate immediately if you feel ill.
- Do call your doctor for questions regarding your symptoms and testing.
- Do continue to protect yourself, loved ones and the community.
Sincerely,
Jason R. Kennedy
Public Health Officer
Ellis County