‘Test-to-Stay’ program hasn’t been implemented in Monroe County schools

Rochester, New York — According to Monroe County Commissioner of Public Health Dr. Michael Mendoza and County Executive Adam Bello, the county isn’t in a position to implement the “Test-to-Stay” program.

Before considering “Test-to-Stay,” the county health department needs to look into how practical it is to test students before school every day, whether all schools across the county will be able to do it and what parents think of it, Dr. Mendoza said.

“‘Test-to-Stay’ would allow unvaccinated kids to keep coming to school even while they are quarantined outside of school,” said Dr. Mendoza. “I also want to point out we recognize the presence of masks and look for 15 minutes of continuous physical contact to determine who is under quarantine. Other counties do not do this and therefore we are quarantining fewer individuals per case than other counties.”

Under the “Test-to-Stay” model, students who are fully vaccinated would not have to be tested, even after a known exposure. They would only need to continue to wear masks when in school.

The testing that is happening now, with rapid tests in schools, is not the model of “Test-to-Stay” laid out by the state.

According to Mendoza, right now, students who are in quarantine are not allowed to test out of quarantine and can only be released by the health department.