Covid-19 Rules Eased for Students in New York State

Students in New York state no longer will be required to take a Covid-19 test if they've been exposed to someone who has tested positive.

Under relaxed Covid guidelines, random testing won't be mandated for school districts across the state. Districts would have the option to administer Covid testing in conjunction with athletic programs.

Governor Kathy Hochul said the changes in the state guidelines are being made as a result of the latest recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control.

Hochul said the updated guidelines should help ensure that students, teachers and faculty will be able to safely return to New York classrooms next month.

The governor said "there's no replacement for in-classroom learning." She said "we're going to make sure that this year is a very different" for students and teachers.

State health commissioner Mary Bassett said the "new guidance will give schools and districts more flexibility to provide in-person instruction as we head into the new school year."

During a briefing on the revised guidelines Monday, Hochul noted that confirmred new Covid cases in recent weeks in New York have been relatively steady. But she noted the situation is significantly better than in it was a year ago.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.

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