FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — Fairfax County Public Schools has created a plan that details how they will implement their roll-back strategy on masks and other prevention measures moving forward.
The school system said in a Thursday letter to families and staff that the plan will be ignited when the Fairfax County community reaches moderate transmission and remains there for seven consecutive days.
The county currently remains at the high transmission level and therefore, all layered prevention strategies, including masking, are remaining in place.
“The health and safety of our students and staff is our number one priority, guiding every decision we make during this pandemic. Our rollback plan uses community transmission data and health expert recommendations to inform our decision-making,” the letter specified.
However, when the county has reached moderate transmission and remained there for a week, the following effects will go in place, the school system said:
Masking will become optional. However, families should keep in mind that there could be times, such as in an outbreak, when some students and staff will be asked to wear masks during mask-optional community transmission levels to protect public health.
“FCPS employees who are not fully vaccinated or are unvaccinated will still be required to wear a mask indoors, regardless of transmission level, as outlined by the Department of Labor and Industry,” the letter said.
In addition, student screening testing will move to a dynamic plan and testing screens will continue to be done until the county is in low transmission. Contact tracing, isolation and quarantine will also continue in the moderate transmission level.
“Because our plan is based on scientific data, we believe this plan gives us a roadmap to move forward safely. We must continue to respect and serve all our students, including our most vulnerable,” the letter concluded.