ERIE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH UPDATES SCHOOLS, FAMILIES ON TEST TO STAY PROGRAM

ERIE COUNTY, NY – The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) issued significant changes to its Isolation and Quarantine guidance late in the evening on Tuesday, January 4. As the Erie County Department of Health’s Epidemiology Office began to review this documentation, it was quickly determined that ECDOH needed additional time to make significant changes to the Erie County Test to Stay (TTS) protocols to prepare for the all-school meeting scheduled on Wednesday afternoon.

This all-school meeting was rescheduled on Wednesday afternoon for Friday afternoon. And the rescheduling of the all-school meeting will not delay the proposed start date for TTS in Erie County. As explained during Tuesday’s ECDOH press conference, ECDOH is working towards a mid-January start date, to allow for schools to have a written plan in place and for ECDOH to distribute sufficient test kits supplies.

ECDOH is reassuring schools and parents that our department is committed to a safe, equitable implementation of the TTS program in Erie County and continued support of school administrators.

ECDOH and its school team look forward to the rescheduled all-school meeting on January 7, to review TTS protocols and applicable NYSDOH guidance, to respond to administrators’ questions, and to define the process for ordering test kits and personal protective equipment (PPE).

Parents and families can review current COVID-19 cases for their school or school district on the New York State School COVID-19 Report Card: https://schoolcovidreportcard.health.ny.gov.

ECDOH COVID-19 case data for the week ending January 1, 2022 are published on the ECDOH web site.