Following a three-day closure of the schools, Salado ISD reported on the first day back to class that there are 40 active cases of COVID-19 in the district.
As of Friday Jan. 28, Salado ISD reports that 15 cases have been reported in the past seven days
This is down from a high of 102 cases, or 4.06% of the 2,511 students and employees at the three campuses, on Jan. 18. Classes were closed on Jan. 19-21, but students were allowed to compete in UIL and other activities.
Salado school trustees at their Jan. 24 meeting approved minor changes to the “Return to In-Person and Continuity of Services Plan.”
“We are required to do this every six months. We last did this in August,” Superintendent Michael Novotny said.
The only changes to the plan was deletion of mask mandates for campuses that hit a threshold of 2% of cases at any one time.
The plan also incorporates the closing guidance from Bell County Public Health District of 5% threshold of confirmed cases and 10% threshold of confirmed and probable cases.
When asked how many additional students were absent than those diagnosed with COVID-19, Dr. Novotny said it is about 3.5 times the number of actual cases.
Dr. Novotny said that every school district in Texas hopes the state will hold districts harmless this year in terms of state funding.
Meanwhile, Bell County remains in Level 1, Severe Uncontrolled Community Transmission. Bell County Health District reports that as of Jan. 27, there are 4,823 active cases of COVID-19. THere have been 775 deaths due to COVID-19 in Bell County and 44,688 total cases reported in Bell County.
Free tests and masks available
The City of Temple, in partnership with Temple Fire & Rescue and the Texas Army National Guard, is hosting a COVID-19 testing and vaccination site 10 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays through Feb. 11 at Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional Airport.
The site will be set up inside a hangar and will be accessible through the Aviation Business Park Entrance
On site, the Texas Army National Guard will provide COVID-19 rapid tests for individuals ages 2+, as well as Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. Individuals ages 12 and up can receive either shot in the series or the booster for either brand with permission from a guardian.
Anyone interested in getting a COVID-19 test is encouraged to bring an ID. No registration is required, but individuals can complete pre-registration paperwork online.
For more information, contact Temple Fire & Rescue Chief Mitch Randles at mrandles@templetx.gov and Emergency Management Specialist Jennifer Henager at jhenager@templetx.gov.
Several other places in the Temple area offer vaccinations and testing, including CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, the Veterans Administration hospital, and the Baylor Scott & White Medical Center and clinics. Some locations may require appointments or allow walk-ins. Information about the nearest vaccine location can be found at https://www.vaccines.gov/ or by calling 1-800-232-0233.
Free at-home test kits are available at https://www.covidtests.gov/ Tests are limited to four per household and are shipped through the United States Mail Service.
About 400 million N95 masks will be available in the United States free of cost through a federal program. Masks will be available at pharmacies and clinics throughout Bell County starting this week. Walgreens said the pharmacy will have masks beginning Friday.