Masks Required In SoWashCo Schools Amid COVID-19 Case Spike

WOODBURY, MN — Students, staff and all visitors to South Washington County Schools must wear masks starting Wednesday, with coronavirus cases surging in recent weeks.

District officials said Tuesday that they are implementing increased health and safety measures to help limit the spread of the coronavirus and keep students in school.

Masks must be worn in all SoWashCo buildings, though they can be temporarily removed to eat or drink; to communicate with someone who is deaf, hard of hearing or has a disability or medical condition that makes it difficult to communicate; and while students and staff are in their own workspaces without others around, according to the new measures.

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Student-athletes, coaches and officials must wear masks when they are not actively participating in contests within SoWashCo facilities, including in locker rooms, team meetings and on benches, district officials said Tuesday.

Spectators must wear masks inside district buildings, and officials are recommending masks also be worn at venues outside the district.

The new measures are set to remain in place throughout SoWashCo buildings until at least Feb. 1.

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“These next three to four weeks will present significant challenges and we remain committed to keeping students learning in person as much as possible,” SoWashCo officials said.

SoWashCo officials recorded 597 new coronavirus cases among students and staff from Dec. 17 to Jan. 6, a period that included the district’s winter break. That represents more than 30 percent of all cases recorded in SoWashCo schools since the start of the 2021-22 academic year, the district’s COVID-19 data dashboard shows.

More than 40 percent of the 514 total cases at SoWashCo high schools this academic year were recorded over the same three-week period, according to the district’s data.

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The number of cases among students and staff at SoWashCo elementary schools climbed above 1,000 after 255 new cases were added in the district’s latest update.