Manitowoc schools extend mask mandate amid 'significant increase' in COVID-19 absences

MANITOWOC - Manitowoc Public School District is keeping its mask mandate in place after seeing a record number of new COVID-19 cases reported in schools the first week back from winter break Jan. 3-7.

The district's COVID-19 dashboard reported 75 new cases of COVID-19 in the district between Jan. 3 and Jan. 7, with 61 of those being students and 14 staff.

The previous weekly high occurred the week that ended Dec. 10 when 44 new cases were reported, 36 of those being students and eight staff.

The last week before the winter break that ended Dec. 22 saw only 22 new cases reported in the district with 16 of those students and six staff.

Superintendent Mark Holzman, in a message to staff, students and families Wednesday, said the district "has seen a significant increase in student and staff absences due to COVID related incidents" over the past two weeks.

Holzman said anyone who is sick should stay home from school and anyone who would like to get tested for COVID-19 can get tested at the district's clinic in the McKinley Building at 1010 Huron St. The clinic is free to all students, staff and immediate household members, and is open 8 a.m.-4:40 p.m. Mondays-Fridays and noon-4 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays.

The district's board of education decided to continue to require people to wear face coverings while inside school facilities after reviewing the latest COVID-19 data Tuesday. The district had said in November it would target a January date for the removal of the mandate because vaccinations had been approved for everyone 5 years old and older and the district believed it would give families enough time to have their kids vaccinated, if they desired. However, the high number of new cases in the district prevented the district from removing the mandate.

Some schools in the region, including three in Green Bay, have had to turn to online learning because of critical staff shortages created by COVID-19.

Holzman said the Manitowoc district's COVID-19 protocols aim to keep kids in school.

"We are committed to providing in-person instruction, and we need your help in keeping our students and staff safe and healthy by following our COVID protocols," Holzman said in his message Wednesday.

Manitowoc County Health Department’s latest weekly COVID-19 update Wednesday showed seven new deaths in relation to the virus within the past week, bringing the total number of deaths related to COVID-19 in the county to 151.

Wednesday’s report also showed 1,130 cumulative and confirmed cases in the county in the past week.

The numbers amount to an 89% increase in cases in the last seven days, and the county’s burden rate was at a “critically high” level of 2,199 per 100,000.

The report said northeast Wisconsin hospitals had a seven-day average of 203 people hospitalized for COVID-19 and overall hospital capacity was at 95%.

The Wisconsin Hospital Association said Wednesday more people were hospitalized with COVID-19 than ever before. The WHA reported that 2,278 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 Wednesday, topping the previous record by one patient, set in November 2020. The rise comes amid the omicron variant surge, which has also stretched hospital systems thin.

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Since Manitowoc County remains in a "critically high" state of COVID-19 transmission, the Health Department said it supports Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations that all people in areas of high transmission wear masks in public indoor settings, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated.

The county Health Department said that although breakthrough cases can occur, vaccines are "safe and remain highly effective at preventing severe disease and death."

Local vaccine providers can be found at vaccines.gov or the Health Department's COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment page, or by calling the Health Department at 920-683-4155.

In addition to getting vaccinated and wearing a mask in public indoor settings, the Health Department recommends people stay 6 feet apart from those not in their household while in public, stay home if they are feeling sick, clean and sanitize high-touch areas, and wash hands often.

The Health Department said anyone who has symptoms of COVID-19 or who was in close contact with someone sick with COVID-19 should get tested. The department has a list of COVID-19 testing sites on its website. Additional testing sites can be located using the community testing sites map on the Wisconsin Department of Health Services website.

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Contact Brandon Reid at 920-686-2984 or breid@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @breidHTRNews.

This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: COVID-19 in Manitowoc: Schools keep mask mandate as absences soar