ASPEN – A school district in western Colorado has announced plans to start voluntary testing of its staff members and students beginning this week through the end of the year.
Aspen School District Superintendent David Baugh said the district will be able to provide about 2,000 COVID-19 oral swab tests a week from a Los Angeles lab, with results expected in about 48 hours, The Aspen Times reported.
Staff members are expected to be first beginning Tuesday, and student testing is expected to soon follow.
“It’s kind of a big deal. We are pretty excited about it,” Baugh told The Aspen Times on Saturday. “It’s something we know our staff has been wanting for a long time, and we are thrilled we were finally able to figure out how to make it happen.”
Pitkin County recently received 1,000 of the same COVID-19 tests, but the deal is separate from the district’s arrangement, officials said. The state is using leftover money from coronavirus relief aid to pay for the district’s tests through December.
Baugh said students or staff who test positive will be asked to quarantine for at least 10 days and to seek a second test before being allowed back on campus. All positive tests are expected to be reported to Pitkin County Public Health.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some – especially older adults and people with existing health problems – it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.
