Region’s upward virus trend continues
Moscow School Board votes to keep mask order in place
Health officials in north central Idaho and southeastern Washington reported 324 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, continuing the recent upward trend.
The new infections included 97 in Nez Perce County and 92 in Whitman County.
No deaths were reported Thursday.
The Moscow School Board voted to continue its mask requirement in district buildings through the end of the third quarter, April 7, at a board meeting Wednesday night.
The school board also approved updated isolation and quarantine protocols following recommendations from Moscow School District Superintendent Greg Bailey.
“We’ve been discussing it with other superintendents in this region who are starting to see an increase and looking at what we can do to help reduce our numbers as much as possible and keep our schools running during this short period of time,” Bailey said. “We’re trying to not be the location that is causing our community to have a major outbreak.”
The school district has reported 105 total COVID-19 cases in its schools, with seven cases that are currently infectious. According to Bailey, some students are out of class for being in close contact with someone who tested positive.
“In mid-September we started seeing a spike, and then as we got closer to Christmas break it started dropping,” Bailey said. “Now it’s starting to rise again, as well as our absenteeism related to COVID-19.”
