State health officials have released a set of benchmarks they want to see before sending Arizona students back to school amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The benchmarks will rely on county data. The plan says for a safe return, there should be “minimal community spread” that would be fewer than ten new cases per 100-thousand people, less than a five-percent positivity rate and less than five-percent cases of COVID-like illness. Minimal spread is considered “green.” Yellow, or “moderate,” would be between ten and 100 cases per 100-thousand people, five-to-ten-percent positivity and five-to-ten percent of COVID-like illness. Red, or “substantial,” is greater than 100 cases per 100-thousand people, over ten-percent positivity and over ten-percent COVID-like illness. To allow hybrid study, which would be both at home and in-person learning, cases must be on a two week decline, or two weeks below 100 cases per 100-thousand population, two weeks with positivity below seven-percent and two weeks with less than ten-percent of hospital visits due to COVID-19. Coconino County health officials say the numbers are “close” to meeting the hybrid benchmarks. The state says Coconino and Yavapai counties has met two of the three benchmarks for they hybrid plan. The Arizona Department of Health Services and the Department of Education released the information Thursday.
For a complete list of the benchmarks, click here:
