Masking Policy In Gloucester Schools As Delta Variant Hits NJ

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — Administrators in the Gloucester Township K-8 and Black Horse Pike Regional public school districts are still mulling over questions surrounding masks and other reopening plans as the new school year nears.

As the delta variant spurs a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases across the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday recommended that people who are vaccinated and in areas at high risk for the coronavirus wear masks indoors.

On Wednesday, Gov. Phil Murphy and State Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli strongly recommended that both vaccinated and unvaccinated residents wear masks in indoor settings when there is increased risk. Read more here: NJ Updates Mask Guidance After CDC Announcement

As of July 17, Camden County was at moderate risk, according to the state's COVID-19 activity report, which is released weekly.

He still has not backed down on his stance that schools need to return to a fully in-person, five-day a week format in the fall. And while the state is not mandating the use of masks among unvaccinated students, school districts can choose to go beyond what the state is recommending, he said.

• See related: NJ Mask Mandates Guided By 'Local Realities,' Gov. Says
• See related: Delta Variant Continues Spread Despite NJ Vaccination Compliance

The New Jersey Department of Health and New Jersey Department of Education said in late June that they will release updated guidance after the CDC releases further masking recommendations.

Both school districts have posted safe return to school plans ahead of the upcoming academic year. In plans posted online by both districts, students returning to school in the fall will have the option of wearing face coverings, although all students and staff who have not yet been vaccinated will be encouraged to do so.

Masks will be required for all passengers on school buses, in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) federal order.

• See related: Gloucester Township Schools Outline Plan For Safe Reopening
• See related: Black Horse Pike Schools Outline Plan For Safe Reopening

The K-8 Public School District’s next board of education meeting will take place on Aug. 23, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the C.W. Lewis Middle School Library.

The Black Horse Pike’s next board of education meeting will take place on Aug. 19, 6 p.m. at the district administration building.

On Wednesday, two new coronavirus cases were identified in Gloucester Township, and 31 new cases were reported countywide. As of Wednesday, there have been 50,199 coronavirus cases and 1,237 coronavirus-related deaths in Camden County since the pandemic began in March 2020.

“With new guidance asking vaccinated residents to resume indoor mask wearing, the message should be clear that this pandemic is not over,” Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. said on Wednesday. “Unlike the last time cases began to increase, we now have access to safe and effective vaccines that prevent serious illness and radically reduce your chance of becoming infected. We need everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible.”

As of Wednesday, 300,092 Camden County residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 275,356 are fully vaccinated, according to county health officials.

On Thursday, the Camden County Health Department, in partnership with the Rutgers School of Nursing, and Cooper University Health Care will be vaccinating students and parents at Timber Creek High School between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. The objective is to vaccinate as many students as possible to ensure the 2022 school year is uninterrupted and the community as whole gets one step closer to a post-pandemic world.

“The Delta variant continues to change the outlook of this pandemic on a daily basis. We need to get as many of our residents vaccinated as possible, and that certainly includes our 12- to 18-year-old students who will be returning to classrooms in the fall,” Camden County Commissioner Al Dyer said. “By bringing the vaccine to directly into this community and the school, parents and students can get their shot in a familiar setting, surrounded by faces they know and trust.”

This article contains reporting by Montana Samuels, Patch staff

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