Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Whitmer Orders K-5 Students To Wear Masks In Michigan
Detroit Free Press: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Mandates Masks For K-5 Students While In Class
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued a new order Friday that requires the state's youngest students to wear a mask while attending face-to-face class. Previously, the governor required older students to wear a mask, but the new order mandates students in kindergarten through fifth grade don a facial covering as well. (Boucher, 9/25)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia Withholds School COVID-19 Counts From Public
Georgia health officials have decided to withhold information about coronavirus infections at each school, saying the public has no legal right to information about outbreaks that the state is investigating. The Georgia Department of Public Health started requiring weekly reports from the schools last month and initially said it might share the information with the public. The decision not to reveal the number of COVID-19 case counts and related quarantines and “clusters” means the only recourse for parents and teachers trying to gauge the risk is the willingness of their local school system to publicize its own data. (Tagami, 9/25)
Tampa Bay Times: A Pinellas Art Teacher Savors Her Classroom, Putting Cancer And Fear Aside
Rhonda Rayman can go on and on about the safety features in her art classroom at Lakewood Elementary School. How she retrofitted pizza boxes so children can keep track of their own supplies. How she set up display racks and shower curtains to separate the kids’ tables... It’s not enough to satisfy Rayman’s daughters, who are in their thirties and wonder why their mother — 58 and a recent cancer survivor — would set foot in a public school this year. (Sokol, 9/28)
In higher-education news —
AP: Quinnipiac Sends Home, Suspends 23 Students Over COVID Rules
Quinnipiac University has sent home or suspended more than 20 student in recent days for violating visitor and other policies, both on- and off-campus, that are aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus, according to a top school official. Tom Ellett, the school’s chief experience officer, said in an email sent Thursday to students that 11 undergraduates have been sent home for four weeks and a dozen off-campus students were suspended. He said they’ve been accused of violating the school’s no visitor policy for residence halls, having non-Quinnipiac University guests on campus and/or exceeding capacity limits on indoor gatherings. (9/27)
The Washington Post: For D.C.-Area Colleges, Mass Testing, Slow Return To In-Person Classes Brings Stability In Pandemic
After a chaotic spring, uncertain summer and a rocky start to the fall semester, universities in the D.C. area have found varying levels of stability. American, George Washington, Georgetown and Howard universities — which abandoned plans to conduct the semester in-person and opted instead to host most classes online — have reported a handful of novel coronavirus cases on and around their campuses. (Lumpkin, 9/27)
Albuquerque Journal: Universities To Treat Water In Navajo Nation Communities
Environmental science students at Navajo Technical University are often asked by their professors about how they want to give back to their Navajo Nation communities. The top answer: by improving access to clean water. Navajo Technical University and New Mexico Tech have teamed up to address such water issues in rural Navajo areas, starting a pilot project to build and operate filtration units for well sites across the vast reservation. (Davis, 9/27)
