Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge Schools will not require masks after governor’s order

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This graph shows the total number of COVID-19 cases in Oak Ridge Schools between Wednesday, Aug. 4, and noon Friday, Aug. 19, 2021. In 2.5 weeks, the number of cases increased from nine to 152. Total cases include both current cases and recovered, and they include both student and staff cases. Gaps in the graph above are days when Oak Ridge Schools didn’t publish data on weekends or when Oak Ridge Today didn’t collect the data. (Data from Oak Ridge Schools/Chart by Oak Ridge Today using Flourish)

Oak Ridge Schools will not require face masks to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 after Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed an executive order Monday allowing parents to opt out of mask mandates issued by school or health boards. However, Oak Ridge Schools will continue to strongly recommend students wear masks in schools where there is an increase in confirmed COVID cases or evidence of the virus being transmitted in the building.

Before the governor’s order, Oak Ridge Schools had required masks at three schools: Jefferson Middle School, Robertsville Middle School, and Willow Brook Elementary School. Now, the use of masks is strongly encouraged in those schools but not required. All three schools have reported more than 20 COVID cases each.

The governor’s order allowed parents and guardians to use a written notification to opt out of mask mandates for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Some parents and government officials supported the order, while others, including doctors and parents, opposed it. School districts in Nashville and Shelby County said they will continue to require masks. That prompted a retort from Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally, an Oak Ridge Republican, who said that “the governor and the General Assembly cannot and will not allow lawful orders to be defied.”

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Some ask for mask requirement in schools but no change yet

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The Oak Ridge Board of Education is pictured above on Monday, Aug. 2, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A small group of parents and two school board members asked for face masks to be required in Oak Ridge Schools, but no decision was made during a school board meeting Monday evening.

Some students are too young to get vaccinated, the parents and school board members said. Others have only had one COVID-19 vaccination shot and aren’t fully vaccinated. Four days into the new school year, parent Gretchen Toney said her daughter has already been exposed to COVID-19 at Robertsville Middle School and sent home to quarantine, potentially exposing her four-year-old son at home and continuing to prevent a visit by her father, who has cancer.

Parent Laetitia Delmau said her children at RMS and Oak Ridge High School are getting non-stop comments because they wear masks for their own protection, and the schools should be free of harassment and bullying.

Citing reports from their children and their own personal observations, parents said few people are wearing masks in Oak Ridge Schools.

The parents asked the school system to follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommended on Tuesday that everyone should wear a mask indoors in K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. The American Academy of Pediatrics has also recommended universal masking in schools this fall, and on Monday, the University of Tennessee announced it will require masks in many indoor settings this fall semester.

“I really request that we follow the CDC guidelines,” Toney said.

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County reports 89 new COVID cases in a week as infections increase

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A daily snapshot of COVID-19 cases in Anderson County on Wednesday, July 29, 2021, includes, among other information, the daily number of new cases and the daily positivity rate. (Graphic by Tennessee Department of Health)

Anderson County has reported 89 new COVID-19 cases in a week as the infection rate increases and officials across the country warn of the spread of the delta variant, especially among the unvaccinated. The increase in Anderson County mirrors what is happening across Tennessee, where new cases have surged from a few hundred each day to more than 2,500 each day while hospitalizations have more than quadrupled.

The positivity rate, a measure of the positive tests each day, has been 10 percent or higher in Anderson County four times since July 12. It hit a high of 24 percent on July 20, according to data from the Tennessee Department of Health. Ten percent is high, and World Health Organization guidelines have called for keeping the positivity rate below 5 percent.

The county’s 89 new cases in a week, from July 22 to July 28, is an average of 12.7 new cases per day. That average is 32 times higher than the low seven-day average of 0.4 new cases per day reported about three weeks ago, on July 6.

The seven-day new case average is now the highest it’s been about since about March 23. That’s when COVID-19 cases were in the middle of a slow months-long decline after a winter peak in November, December, and January.

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COVID case, positivity rates rising as school resumes

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A daily snapshot of COVID-19 cases in Anderson County on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, includes, among other information, the daily number of new cases and the daily positivity rate. (Graphic by Tennessee Department of Health)

Note: This story was updated at 12:15 p.m. July 28.

The COVID-19 case and positivity rates are rising in Anderson County as school resumes in Oak Ridge. More than 100 new COVID-19 cases, four hospitalizations, and three deaths have been reported since mid-July. The positivity rate, a measure of how many COVID-19 tests are positive each day, is about 10 percent, which exceeds World Health Organization guidelines.

Cases in Tennessee have surged from a low of a few hundred new cases per day about a month ago to roughly 2,100 new cases on Tuesday. Current hospitalizations across the state have climbed from a low of a few hundred to 762. Fifty-one hospitalizations were reported Tuesday.

In the past two weeks, the rate of new COVID-19 cases per day in Anderson County has steadily climbed from a low of about one new case per day in Anderson County to 7.6 new cases per day. The county reported 112 new cases of COVID-19 between Monday, July 12, and Tuesday, July 27, according to data from the Tennessee Department of Health. (See also here and here.)

There were 74 new cases of COVID-19 reported in the week between Tuesday, July 20, and Monday, July 26. That’s an average of about 10.6 new cases per day. The one-week average of 10.6 new cases per day was higher than the 14-day case average of 7.6 reported by the state.

Two new deaths due to COVID-19 were reported in Anderson County on Monday, although that doesn’t necessarily mean the deaths occurred Monday because the state reporting can lag a few days behind when the deaths occurred.

Also in the last two weeks, the positivity rate has climbed from about 2.3 percent on Monday, July 12, to 9.3 percent on Tuesday, July 27. The WHO has recommended a positivity rate below 5 percent.

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Roane State ends COVID-19 mask requirement for fully vaccinated

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Part of the Oak Ridge branch campus of Roane State Community College is pictured above. (Photo by Roane State)

Roane State Community College is ending its face mask requirement for people who are fully vaccinated. The college also ended its daily wellness screening requirement on campus on Monday.

The changes are updates to the college’s pandemic response plan as COVID-19 cases decline in the area, state, and nation.

“These changes follow updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued on May 13,” Roane State said in a press release. “Over the next few weeks, Roane State will be working to implement these new protocols within its response plan and communicate changes to the campus community.”

Until further notice, Roane State will maintain some of the preventive measures put in place during the pandemic in order to keep campuses as safe as possible. Protocols that will remain in place include:

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Only those who meet CDC criteria can be tested Friday

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Free drive-through testing for COVID-19 started Wednesday morning, April 15, 2020, in the Oak Ridge High School parking lot. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Only people who meet certain criteria can be tested for COVID-19 at Oak Ridge High School today (Friday, April 17).

The criteria, established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, include only people with COVID-19 symptoms, first responders, health care workers, and patients who may have been exposed to the virus, the City of Oak Ridge said Thursday night.

COVID-19 symptoms include fever, cough, or shortness of breath. COVID-19 is a contagious respiratory illness that can be deadly.

Appointments for testing must be made online at KrogerHealth.com/COVIDtesting or by phone at (888) 837-8852.

If someone who meets CDC criteria is unable to register online or by phone, they can be registered on site, but they still need to meet the CDC criteria, the city said.

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ORAU, ORISE permit some work from home

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Part of the ORAU campus in central Oak Ridge is pictured above on May 29, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

ORAU and ORISE—which work for more than 20 different federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—are allowing employees to work from home when possible.

ORAU and ORISE have authorized executives and directors to approve work from home for employees who are able to perform their job responsibilities at home, such as office workers.

Some employees will be required to report to work to continue operations, including in some laboratories, in information technology for computer support, and for security, for example.

ORAU is Oak Ridge Associated Universities, and ORISE is Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.

The work-from-home authorization was implemented this week, and ORAU and ORISE don’t have final numbers of the numbers of employees who are or will be working from home.

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AC Schools, Clinton Community Center closing

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Anderson County Schools will be closed through the end of Spring Break on March 27, and extracurricular activities are being suspended. The Clinton Community Center will be closed through at least March 30.

The school system closure is to be cautious and to be in accordance with the latest recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about social distancing, Anderson County Schools said.

The school system is closing its buildings to all outside organizations.

Teachers and staff members were expected to report to work on Monday, March 16 to begin preparing an alternative education plan for students.

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Governor declares state of emergency; first COVID-19 case diagnosed in Knox

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Note: This story was last updated at 7:10 p.m.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee declared a state of emergency to help treat and contain COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus, and the first case has been diagnosed in Knox County.

The Knox County patient was exposed overseas and is an isolated case. The person has been in isolation and has not required hospitalization, according to the Knox County Health Department.

It’s a presumptive positive case, and local and state officials are waiting for confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Following standard public health protocols for infectious disease response, Knox County Health Department said its epidemiologists will work with the Tennessee Department of Health and follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to contact and monitor anyone who may have been exposed to this isolated case. Eighteen cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Tennessee, according to the Tennessee Department of Health, but it is not currently widespread in Knox County or the state.

“We understand the concern surrounding COVID-19, but we hope Knox County citizens can take some comfort in the fact that we were expecting a case, and that we routinely utilize extensive plans and national best practice to respond to all reportable infectious diseases in Knox County,” said KCHD Senior Director Dr. Martha Buchanan. “The most important thing the public can do is to follow the CDC guidance, which includes the standard hygiene practices we recommend to prevent the spread of flu and other viruses.”

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ORNL involved in early research on coronavirus

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory is involved in early research and using the Summit supercomputer to better understand components of the coronavirus. (Photo credit: Carlos Jones/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy)

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is involved in early research and using the Summit supercomputer to better understand components of the new coronavirus, which was first reported in China but is now being reported in a growing number of countries across the world, including the United States.

The early research at ORNL uses computational modeling and data analysis techniques on Summit, the world’s most powerful supercomputer. Results are not published yet, ORNL said Friday afternoon.

Oak Ridge Today has requested more information about the lab’s research, including who the work is for and what parts of the virus are being researched, but that information wasn’t immediately available.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is closely monitoring the outbreak of respiratory illnesses caused by the new coronavirus, and there are ongoing investigations to learn more.

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Current risk of coronavirus is low, but schools, health dept. provide info

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The immediate risk of the coronavirus in the United States is believed to be low, but Oak Ridge Schools, Anderson County Schools, and the Anderson County Health Department are providing information to help respond to the emerging public health threat.

“Oak Ridge Schools is committed to keeping our students and staff safe and are currently working to determine the appropriate steps to address the potential coronavirus outbreak,” the school system said in a message sent to staff members on Friday afternoon. “We are communicating with the Anderson County Health Department to attain the latest information and recommendations from federal, state, and local authorities.”

Oak Ridge Schools said it will use that information to create a plan to keep students and staff safe.

“Staff, students, and parents will receive information regarding a coronavirus plan should the implementation of such action become necessary,” the message said.

The school system said it will communicate with students, staff, and parents about the importance of consistently practicing these recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

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CDC awards $167 million dose reconstruction contract to ORAU

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Part of the ORAU campus in central Oak Ridge is pictured above on May 29, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

ORAU and its partners have received a $167 million multi-year contract for work that includes radiation dose reconstructions for a federal compensation program that involves certain illnesses and work at sites affiliated with the U.S. Department of Energy.

ORAU announced the contract in a press release on Wednesday.

ORAU and its partners started work on the original contract in 2002, or 17 years ago. The new contract is for one year with four, one-year options, the press release said.

The contract is with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The work will support the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH.

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