SAN ANTONIO – Amid a massive effort to jumpstart the Texas economy, Gov. Greg Abbott says schools, day cares and youth camps can reopen to kids.
Abbott announced that child care centers and youth clubs can reopen immediately, and camps and youth sports can open on May 31. Child care centers also include other places that provide care and education, according to guidelines from the Governor’s Strike Force to Open Texas.
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Until now, some day cares closed entirely as others stayed open only to service essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic.
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A guideline issued by the strikeforce states that businesses should “consider” having employees wear face coverings. Still, employees must maintain social distancing and will be required to take health and safety training related to COVID-19 through the Texas A&M AgrilLife extension.
Sick staff members or children would be required to stay home, the guideline states. If a COVID-19 case is confirmed among students or staff, the facility must report it to Child Care Licensing and the local health department.
The document gave additional guidelines on what to do if there is a positive case in the facility, such as closing off areas and opening doors and windows to allow air circulation.
Access to visitors will be limited to:
- Persons with legal authority to enter, including law enforcement officers
- Professionals providing services to children
- Parents who have children enrolled and present at the operation. Parents should only enter the child care center when necessary.
Guidelines also state festivals, holiday events and special performances will have to be canceled or postponed.
“One thing is for certain: education and childcare are essential and we must find reasonably safe ways to restore these services so that our children can be cared for, educated and their parents and guardians can return to work,” the guideline states. “We must find ways to protect our children from COVID-19 to ensure that they do not bring the infection to others, such as other household members, who may be at high risk for severe infection or even loss of life.”
See the full guidelines for parents here:
Youth sports and clubs, such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and FFA, can begin to meet. Club participants should not meet in groups larger than 10.
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Camps, either overnight or day, will be able to operate in the summer.
Parents or guardians will not be able to visit the camp during camp sessions, except to drop-off or pick-up campers.
See the full guidelines for parents here:
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