The Tucson Unified School District board voted 4-0 at an emergency meeting Wednesday morning to require everyone to wear a mask on TUSD property.
Before school begins Thursday, the board decided to mandate masks on all TUSD campuses, motivated by the outbreaks in the Vail School District and with the growing number of pediatric cases.
Vail School District began school on July 19 and officials have reported 25 COVID-19 cases from students and staff as of July 25. On Monday, the district reported 57 student cases and 12 staff cases as of Aug. 1. TUSD is almost four times the size of Vail.
Last week, Dr. Theresa Cullen, director of Pima County s Health Department, said the county received reports of 56 cases since July 19 and eight outbreaks at schools.
Third Wave: COVID cases on the rise as students return to the classroom
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In Challenge to State Law, TUSD To Require Students, Teachers and Staff To Wear Masks on Campus
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UA expert: Arizona now experiencing âhigh levelsâ of COVID-19 transmission
Vadim Ghirda/AP
A medical worker, wearing a mask for protection against the COVID-19 infection on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
and last updated 2021-08-02 20:52:12-04
A public health expert with the University of Arizona says Arizona is now experiencing high levels of transmission that will be sustained for weeks to come.
Dr. Joe Gerald, who is back to releasing weekly COVID-19 reports, says another wave of cases and hospitalizations are due to the delta variant as it now accounts for more than 75% of all cases.
âAs of July 25th, new cases were being diagnosed at a rate of 141 cases per 100,000 residents per week. The rate is increasing at 32 cases per 100,000 residents per week. Another wave of cases and hospitalizations, caused by the increasing prevalence of the Delta variant is now certain. The Delta variant now accounts for >75% of all cases.