Columbia Public Schools roll out new coronavirus protocols

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Public Schools rolled out its new coronavirus protocols Thursday, including no quarantine requirement for students and staff exposed to the virus, as the omicron variant spreads and students prepare to return to classrooms.

The district will require those who test positive for coronavirus to stay home for five days or until symptoms resolve, following new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those who test positive will then wear masks and eat lunch at separate tables until the 10-day mark is up, the district said in a message to parents and staff shared with media.

Those who are exposed to coronavirus but haven't tested positive will have to wear a mask for 10 days and eat lunch away from others.

The district said its revised coronavirus plan "includes the possible implementation of temporary masking at the classroom, building, or district levels to prevent further spread should COVID-19 exposure necessitate a change in mitigation strategies."

The district released the new protocols the same day the courts dismissed a case brought against CPS by the Missouri attorney general over mask mandates. The board voted last month to appeal those mandates under pressure from some parents and the attorney general, who wrote to CPS saying his office was investigating the district for not complying with a judge's ruling invalidating COVID-19 health orders.

Coronavirus cases are rising in Missouri and Boone County just days before classes resume on Tuesday. Boone County reported its most active cases since January on Thursday, while Missouri logged more than 6,000 confirmed new cases.

The U.S. set a new daily case record this week and pediatric hospitalizations are rising in many areas of the country.