Cuyahoga County Schools Need More COVID Testing, GCC Says!

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FEATURED PHOTO: REVEREND JAWANZA COLVIN, OLIVET INSTITUTIONAL BAPTIST CHURCH

Patch.com, By Chris Mosby, Posted October 20th 2020

The Greater Cleveland Congregations want to see more COVID-19 testing for students and staff in public schools.

The Greater Cleveland Congregations is calling on Cuyahoga County public schools to provide frequent COVID-19 testing for students and staff.

The congregations launched the Color of Health Initiative this year, which has helped 1,750 people get COVID-19 tests. Concerns remain among community members about the amount of COVID-19 testing available in Cleveland communities, particularly on the city’s east side.

“We hear the concerns of our members about the need for schools to reopen in order to get their children back in the classroom and to open up more employment opportunities for their families,” said Rev. Jawanza Colvin of Olivet Institutional Baptist Church. “At the same time, we are concerned about the safety of the people in our historically Black churches, whose members have been the most seriously impacted by COVID-19.”

The Cuyahoga County Board of Health has set out guidelines for school districts to reopen. However, the congregations said the guidelines miss one crucial component: frequent COVID-19 testing for students, teachers and staff.

The congregations cited a Rockefeller Foundation study that found daily COVID-19 testing can reduce transmission of the virus by 90 percent.

Many Cuyahoga County schools have either returned to in-person education or have plans to do so. Several districts, including Strongsville and Mayfield, have already seen students test positive for the virus and others quarantine after having contact with those students.