COVID-19 restrictions eased as Hudson Valley heads back to school

For the first time in two years, COVID-19 is not the focus at the Roosevelt Elementary School.

News 12 Staff

Sep 1, 2022, 10:22 AM

Updated 774 days ago

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It's back to school today for some school districts in the Hudson Valley.
Ossining is just one of many districts where parents and teachers are kicking off a new school year today.
For the first time in two years, COVID-19 is not the focus at the Roosevelt Elementary School.
Numbers are down and virus restrictions have eased up in schools.
Just last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul updated school guidance to align with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's latest guidelines.
Now, students will no longer have to quarantine if they're exposed to the virus.
And if a student tests positive, they'll only have to quarantine for five days if they don't have symptoms.
But as COVID-19 restrictions ease up, some parents say they're still concerned about other viruses that have emerged like polio and monkeypox.
Infectious Disease experts say, generally, kids have a low risk of contracting the monkeypox virus. Only children with rare immunodeficiencies can get the vaccine. And they say if your children are vaccinated for polio, they're safe. "For children who are immunocompromised or who can't get vaccinated for other reasons, they should take extra measures. Just paying extra caution to who your kids are playing with, what sort of environment you have them in," says Dr. Sandra Kesh, an infectious disease expert at WestMed Medical Group.
Doctors say it's important for parents to make sure their children have completed their polio vaccine series.
With COVID-19 hopefully in the rearview mirror, everyone at Roosevelt Elementary School is especially excited since today is the 100th time in this school's history students are being welcomed back into the building. "It's a huge year, we're starting our year with some centennial events, our theme for our centennial is ‘Feel the Magic’," says Principal Dr. Nicole Mangiere.
While kids in Ossining are back in school today, students in Yonkers will return to the classroom on Tuesday, Sept. 6. The East Ramapo Central School District will also welcome its students back on Tuesday. And in New Rochelle, kids will be back in class on Wednesday, Sept. 7.