Massachusetts to give schools 200K coronavirus testing kits

The state of Massachusetts has purchased 200,000 COVID-19 testing kits for school staffs in the commonwealth so they can test for the virus before they return to work after the holidays, The Associated Press reported. 

The state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced Wednesday that each staff member would receive two tests: One to use 24 hours before staff members return to work and the second to use at another time, whenever they’d like.  

The news comes amid a sharp spike in coronavirus cases across the U.S. that has, in part, been spurred by the highly transmissible omicron variant. The surge in cases has prompted concern from state and federal officials about student and staff safety in schools.

The wire service reported that 10,000 student and employee virus cases were reported in Massachusetts public schools for the week ending Dec. 23, according to state data. 

Massachusetts’ public school system has about 920,000 students and 140,000 employees, the AP reported.

Massachusetts officials last week disturbed more than 6 million KN95 masks to schools for employees. 

“Doing everything we can to keep students learning in classrooms is critical. Providing these tests to teachers and staff is one more thing we can do to ensure that is possible,” Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley said in a statement, AP reported. 

At the college level, schools in Massachusetts have issued new requirements to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

The University of Massachusetts school system has required that its thousands of students, staff and faculty all receive their COVID-19 vaccine booster shot. 

Previously, the higher education system required that students and faculty get vaccinated, and almost 100 percent complied. The high vaccination rate resulted in a coronavirus positivity level lower than the national average, according to the AP.