-->

Gating criteria changes for Johnson County schools

The Johnson County Department of Health has switched gating criteria recommendations for its school districts. An increase in new cases has tilted the county into what the department considers the red zone, though it is not pushing schools to change current operations.

The Johnson County Department of Health and Environment has changed its gating criteria recommendation for schools from “Orange” to “Red.”

The change came Tuesday after the county reported 2,260 new cases in the last 14 days and 15,430 cases overall since the outbreak started.

When the county has been in the “Red,” it recommended all students be in remote learning.

But on its dashboard Tuesday, the JCDHE said it is “not recommending that schools change how they are currently operating, but schools also need to be vigilant.”

JCDHE said data shows the mitigation efforts the school districts have implemented have worked so far.

“JCDHE will continue to work with school districts to monitor the situation,” the health department said on its dashboard.

The county also reported Tuesday 581 hospitalizations and 219 deaths since the outbreak started.

“We are urging residents – including parents of children in school – to help break the transmission cycle of the virus and to stay home if you have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19,” Dr. Sanmi Areola, director of public health for JCDHE, said.