As the school year begins for several districts across the state, public health officials are reminding parents and students of COVID-19 precautions.

Greene County Public Health Director Becky Wolf says parents need to do daily screenings of their child before school and monitor for symptoms of the virus. 

“Don’t send them to school sick. Don’t pop a couple of Tylenol or ibuprofen in them with breakfast and send them out the door. Because at some point the medication is going to wear off and then the kid is going to start feeling bad. And then if it’s COVID then they just exposed a bunch of people.”

Wolf points out other recommendations such as avoiding large crowds, social distancing of at least six-feet and wearing a mask when social distancing is not manageable. She also gives this wager to everyone practicing hand hygiene.

“I challenge you (to) do hand hygiene 50-percent more than you usually do and I think you’ll be surprised how much healthier you’ll be in the winter time.”

Wolf urges parents and children to stay home if they are sick and follow all the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to keep not only students safe, but the teachers and staff in the school buildings as well.