Governor Mike Parson loosened the guidelines on school quarantines allowing students and staff to stay in school after a COVID-19 exposure, if both people were properly wearing masks. Parson is not mandating wearing masks or face coverings, but asking Missourians to step up and wear them voluntarily.

*It’s not just about a mask mandate and it’s not politics - Governor Mike Parson*

“It’s not just about a mask mandate and it’s not politics,” said Parson. “It’s about social distancing; it’s about 15 minutes. It’s about every Missouri citizen doing their part to be able to help one another.”

State Education Director Margie Vandeven explained how the new guidelines can work in school settings in a press conference on Thursday. “Under the updated guidance, proper mask-wearing may now prevent individuals from being identified as close contacts in K-12 schools that have implemented a mask mandate,” she stated. “This means that if both individuals at school – the person diagnosed with COVID-19 and the person exposed to the positive case – have masks on and are wearing them correctly, the individual exposed does not need to quarantine.”

Parson says this will reduce the strain on school staffing, and keep students in classes. He believes that this should ease the burden on parents who work in healthcare.

Dr. Rachel Orscheln, Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Washington University and St. Louis Children’s Hospital supports the relaxed guidelines.

“Given the high rates of COVID-19 in our communities, it is inevitable that some children and adolescents will test positive,” stated Orscheln. “We also know that some of these children will likely, at some point in their illness, be at school.

However, we have learned that in schools where students and staff are always wearing masks and practicing physical distancing, this virus does not spread as easily as it does in other places where these strategies are not always used.”

Before the announcement to relax COVID guidelines, the Kearney School District released a letter that notified parents of the possibility of the district moving to 100% virtual learning in certain areas.

Since the Governor’s announcement, the school district announced: “that the new guidance from the Governor contradicts local Clay County Public Health Center and federal Centers for Disease Control guidance. In the coming days, district administrators will continue to monitor how the Governor’s message impacts guidance from our local public health experts. At this time, we will continue our current procedures for contact tracing, and all those currently in quarantine will continue that process as originally determined.”

KPGZ News – Brian Watts contributed to this story