Friday, September 24, 2021

FROM: Columbia County Board of Supervisors Chairman Matt Murell

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CLARIFICATION: SCHOOL DISTRICT WINTER SPORTS VACCINATIONS

Recently, the six Columbia County school districts universally decided to require that all those who intend to play indoor winter sports must be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.

This decision was made based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control, the New York State Education Department, and the Columbia County Department of Health. The Columbia County Department of Health has not mandated the vaccination, although county DOH Director Jack Mabb highly recommended the sports vaccination policy in accordance with the CDC and NYSED guidance.

The winter sports vaccination decision was made as the highly virulent nature of COVID-19 has caused Columbia County to reach an infection rate that currently hovers around six percent.

According to the CDC and the NYS Education Department, “Due to increased exhalation that occurs during physical activity, some sports can put players, coaches, trainers, and others at increased risk for getting and spreading COVID-19. Close contact sports and indoor sports are particularly risky.” In addition, “High-risk sports and extracurricular activities should be virtual or canceled in areas of high community transmission unless all participants are fully vaccinated.

” ‘I think the county superintendents have taken a leadership role in this,” said county DOH Director Jack Mabb. “They spent a great deal of time analyzing it. People will see school districts in other areas following suit in the coming weeks.”

The six school districts in-county are Taconic Hills, Chatham, Hudson, Ichabod Crane, New Lebanon, and Germantown.