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Governor Cooper Announces Updated Safety Guidelines For Schools In The Upcoming Year

(FILE) Governor Roy Cooper speaks at a press briefing on COVID-19 on March 2, 2021. Image credit: NC Dept of Public Safety, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/

Governor Roy Cooper updated public health guidelines for K-12 schools Wednesday.  At a COVID-19 news conference, Cooper said among the protocols, kindergarten through 8th graders and staff will be required to wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status. Schools with students in 9th through 12th grade should ensure mask-wearing indoors for anyone who has not received the vaccine. The announcement is part of the StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit, which aligns with the recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services' Dr. Mandy Cohen says schools need to use the additional safety protocols outlined there to continue to protect students and staff as they enter the new school year.  

"With only 24% of North Carolinians ages 12 to 17 fully vaccinated and because anyone under the age of 12 cannot be vaccinated yet, we still have a long way to go," said Cohen. 

The guidance goes into effect on July 30, 2021. The governor also said that North Carolina reported the highest numbers of new cases and hospitalizations in over two months. Most cases involved the new delta variant. He says the state has now entered a new phase of the pandemic marked by a laser focus on getting as many people vaccinated as possible.

Before his arrival in the Triad, David had already established himself as a fixture in the Austin, Texas arts scene as a radio host for Classical 89.5 KMFA. During his tenure there, he produced and hosted hundreds of programs including Mind Your Music, The Basics and T.G.I.F. Thank Goodness, It's Familiar, which each won international awards in the Fine Arts Radio Competition. As a radio journalist with 88.5 WFDD, his features have been recognized by the Associated Press, Public Radio News Directors Inc., Catholic Academy of Communication Professionals, and Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas. David has written and produced national stories for NPR, KUSC and CPRN in Los Angeles and conducted interviews for Minnesota Public Radio's Weekend America.

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