Covid surges yet again
Jackson Heller
COVID-19 is surging again. That’s a headline that will feel all too familiar for everyone involved. Almost two years after the initial surge that shut down nations around the world, the numbers are starting to show a dangerous trend.
The variant at the heart of it all is a newer variant called the Omicron. Much like the standard COVID-19 but with a telling symptom of a sore throat, Omicron cases have begun an even steeper rise than the one seen in 2020. And while it can be milder, the same risk of overcrowded hospitals and preventable deaths still looms large.
In the realm of education, schools have begun to take notice. Universities around the country are extending their test-exempt policies into the class of 2027. Schools are beginning to take virtual days off to combat the rising COVID-19 numbers and become more transparent about the numbers within the schools themselves.
One of the districts to increase their transparency is Green Bay Area Public Schools, publicizing and maintaining a GBAPS live COVID-19 dashboard. The dashboard can be accessed on any internet-accessible device and displays the current “Student and Staff Isolations,” as well as the Total Isolations and Active Case Rate.
Around the district, numbers have jumped as high as 4%, going as far as to shut down Chappell elementary school on the west side. Various meetings have been held with the administrative staff of multiple schools regarding the temporary suspension of in-person learning, which would be replaced by one day of asynchronous learning and two days of in person instruction.
However, all hope has not been lost. Since numbers spiked in mid-late January, numbers around the nation have begun to plummet. In fact, a look at the current situation on the dashboard shows numbers as low as mid-September. If schools and students can continue to practice responsibility and stop the spread, normal life could soon look to make a comeback.
For information about the Omicron variant, visit this link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/variants/omicron-variant.html
For the GBAPS Covid Dashboard, visit this link: