The COVID-19 Community Task Force plans to meet Wednesday to “do a status check” and “talk about the big picture” as the ultra-contagious delta variant continues to fuel a surge in COVID-19 across much of the U.S., including areas of Indiana.
The task force, which was formed in February 2020, includes representatives from Columbus Regional Health, the Columbus mayor’s office, Bartholomew County Health Department, Bartholomew County Emergency Management, Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. and Cummins Inc.
The task force has met numerous times since then to discuss and coordinate the community-wide response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As we have been from the beginning, we want to stay on top of this as things are evolving and starting to change and trend in the wrong direction nationwide and even here a little bit locally,” said task force and CRH spokeswoman Kelsey DeClue.
The meeting comes about a week after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended indoor masks for people in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging, regardless of their vaccination status.
Additionally, the CDC is recommending indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors at schools nationwide whether they have been vaccinated or not. The agency cited the risk of spread of the highly contagious delta variant, even among vaccinated people.
The updated guidance has thrust K-12 schools into the spotlight and plunged policy makers once again into a debate on whether masks should be required just before the school year starts.
Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. students are scheduled to return to the classroom on Friday.
This past Friday, the Indiana State Department of Health recommended that all K-12 schools in Indiana follow the CDC guidance “regardless of the level of community spread.”
State health commissioner Dr. Kristina Box told reporters Friday that she is strongly urging schools to follow the guidance, pointing to, among other things, low vaccination rates among Hoosiers age 12 to 18.
Children under 12 are currently ineligible for COVID-19 vaccines.
“When you look at it, we have only about 34% of those individuals that are aged 16 to 18 that have been vaccinated and about 20-some percent of the 12- to 16-year-olds,” Box said.
However, state health officials said they are not mandating masks at K-12 schools, instead leaving that decision up to local school districts and local officials.
BCSC’s current reopening plan states that, in most situations, masks are optional for both students and staff, but “recommended” for those at risk or unvaccinated. However, masks are required on buses due to a federal mandate. The reopening plan also states that BCSC will adjust its guidelines “as needed based on the level of community spread.”
Superintendent Jim Roberts said last week after the CDC announced its updated guidance that BCSC continues to have discussions about reopening procedures with community stakeholders.
Roberts said that such discussion is important because, as he’s seen in past dialogue with the community, there’s more to consider than “just a school approach.” Instead, there needs to be a “community approach,” he said.
“If the delta variant is spreading throughout our community or state, if we start to see numbers go up here locally and feel like something needs to be done, doing something in the schools is not likely going to change the numbers drastically,” he said.
In a July 16 statement, BCSC said it “will continue to monitor local spread, and are prepared to make adjustments to the plan, including the requiring of masks, if circumstances dictate.”
A total of 64 cases of COVID-19 were reported in Bartholomew County last week, up from 39 the week before, according to the Indiana Department of Health.
An additional 12 cases were reported in Bartholomew County on Sunday, according to state records released Monday.
