COVID Testing Required Weekly For Atlanta Schools Staff

ATLANTA — Teachers and school staff in Atlanta will continue testing for COVID-19 through the school year, officials said.

According to WAGA, Atlanta’s Fox News affiliate, Atlanta Public School teachers and staff are required to be tested twice a week beginning Sept. 7.

The announcement is part of the school district’s efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus, which has spiked due to the emergence of the delta variant just as the school year begins.

"Surveillance testing will allow us to keep up our momentum of quality, in-person learning and minimize the risk for everyone. Even if you are fully vaccinated, or have no symptoms, you may unknowingly expose others to the COVID-19 virus," said APS Superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring. "Frequent surveillance testing can help protect your students, colleagues, and your loved ones at home. It is the best tool available to detect asymptomatic carriers."

Factors prompting the testing mandate include the number of students under the age of 12 — more than 20,000 — ineligible for the vaccine, and a report that more than half of the 189 of the district staff members who tested positive for the virus since July had been vaccinated.

Read the full story at WAGA Fox 5 Atlanta.