.@Marion_Health about to lay out specific #coronavirus thresholds to guide #SchoolReopening. @sjchealth did the same yesterday.
.@IndyMayorJoe: teachers in high risk groups will be allowed to opt out of in-person classes.
.@Marion_Health director Virginia Caine: cases have been rising steadily since #4thofJuly2020. Positivity rate rose for two weeks but has leveled off around 9% (current 7-day avg: 8.3%).
Marion County topped 10% danger zone positivity rate for four days, July 13-16, but has slowly declined since.
In 1st month of pandemic, 72% of patients were over 40. Now it's just 44%, same as rate among people in 20s and 30s.
Caine: #coronavirus almost nonexistent among kids under 11. But about 1.1% of cases are high-school age, dating to start of pandemic.
Caine recommends Marion County middle and high schools operate with hybrid of online and in-person classes. If positivity rate goes above 10%, she'd recommend they close. If it goes to 13%, she'd recommend elementary schools close too. #schoolsreopening
Caine also recommends no large school assemblies, which is also part of state IDOE recommendations.
Caine will require middle and high schools to operate at 50% capacity.
NO @Marion_Health requirements on fall sports. Caine recommends following @IHSAA1 guidelines for contact sports, which allows them to go forward. She recommends reviewing data over next few weeks to see if further action needed.
Caine: we analyzed contact tracing, and there was no surge related to #GeorgeFloyd protests at end of May. Surge came after state move to Stage 4, and especially move to Stage 4.5 at July 4. She attributes slow decline last two weeks to Indy's #MaskUp requirement.
If positivity rate falls below 5%, recommendations would allow all schools to operate normally.
.@Marion_Health: some schools have lots of unused space and can do 50% capacity without going to hybrid model. Requirement would be met as long as students are spread out.
Caine on fall sports: "Students need to understand that they'll help to drive the data." If football players and other athletes are wearing masks and otherwise being attentive to #coronavirus precautions, they'll help determine whether the season is able to proceed.
All schools must get @Marion_Health approval for their #schoolreopening plans.
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