Onondaga County schools in the orange zone started mandatory COVID-19 testing Monday.
County Executive Ryan McMahon says they conducted more than 2,000 tests and had only 2 positive results.

“The data has shown that the schools themselves are safe and safer than the community at large,” said McMahon. “So, for many reasons it’s our goal to continue the in-person learning.”

McMahon says Governor Andrew Cuomo’s new testing policy is more sustainable.
Testing in the yellow zone remains the same; schools must initially test 20% of in-person students and staff. If the school’s positivity rate is lower than the community’s, the school no longer has to test.
The orange zone requires testing 10% every two weeks, while the red zone is 15% every 2 weeks.

“This brings clarity to help us implement more community-based testing in our program,” said McMahon.

Testing will continue in the Syracuse City School District Tuesday, despite the superintendent’s decision to go remote this week. It’s a move the Syracuse Teachers Association supports.

“Right now, what I’m focused on is testing to demonstrate that it’s safe to return for staff and students and if the district can do that, we’ll be back to in-person learning next week,” said Bill Scott, the Syracuse Teachers Association president. “If they are unable to demonstrate that or we see that uptick that is predicted from the Thanksgiving holiday, then we’ll have to reassess.”

City students are expected to return to school Monday. However, a district spokesperson says he’s unsure whether those plans will change due to the updated policy.