February 24th, 2022 by WCBC Radio
Despite strong opposition from the county health officer and at least two members of the School Board- the Allegany County Board of Health on Wednesday voted to abolish the current quarantine measures in the public school system effective March 1st. The action is in anticipation of the Allegany County School Board voting to drop the mask mandate. The one hour session was dominated with clarifications of terminology such as the differences between quarantining and isolation; and outbreak versus exposure. After two draft motions were rejected due to a lack of clarity, the health board finally voted in approval of a short four sentence guideline that requires only students with confirmed cases of COVID-19 to isolate; and adding that quarantining will not be required for close contacts in the classroom. County Commissioners President Jake Shade said it’s time to return schools and students to normalcy…
The dissenting vote came from Health Officer Jenelle Mayer said she feels the transmission rates are still on the high side…
Following the meeting, school board member Deb Frank approached the commissioners expressing her concern and frustration with the action. Frank noted that the quarantine numbers have declined dramatically- however she feels it is too early to drop the protocols before having any post mask data to review…
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