Other districts including Affton, Mehlville, Hazelwood and St. Louis Public Schools have announced they will require masks for all students and staff.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday that all students and staff in Illinois schools and day care centers will be required to wear masks indoors this fall.
The delta variant of COVID-19 appears to be more transmissible among children, according to St. Louis County health officials.
“Our most concerning update is that the disease is fundamentally different than last year, particularly in children,” reads an alert sent Wednesday by the health department. “This is very concerning as the school year is around the corner.”
The weekly alert continued, “We are seeing outbreaks and transmission occurring in such settings as daycares and summer camps.”
That means, health officials said, “that transmission in school is not only possible, but likely, especially if the appropriate mitigation measures are not taken.”
The department pointed to several recent examples of viral transmission locally, such as an outbreak of eight cases in a day care classroom including an unvaccinated teacher.
A “large provider” of summer camps and child care has reported more cases this summer compared with the entire last year, according to the county health department.
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Originally Appeared Here