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GCSC to return to masking on Tuesday

Thursday, January 13, 2022 ~ Updated 8:06 AM
By JARED JERNAGAN, Editor

With a change to its COVID-19 policy, Greencastle Community School Corp. will return to masking on Monday, Jan. 18.

GCSC does not have school Monday due to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Supt. Jeff Gibboney made the announcement late Monday afternoon that masks will be required when Putnam County is in the red according to the Indiana State Department of Health COVID-19 Dashboard.

“GCSC has been closely monitoring our in-school staff/student COVID data since returning for the second semester,” Gibboney said. “While we have only witnessed a slight increase in the number of positive cases and quarantines within our schools compared with the end of the first semester, we have begun to see the level of community spread impact our classrooms.”

That community spread has been off the charts in the last two weeks, as Putnam has been in the red since Wednesday, Dec. 5, with the metrics still rising.

According to the most recent metrics, Putnam County had 907 new cases per 100,000 residents, with a positivity rate of 24.69 percent.

Both rates are well beyond the minimum red rating of 200 cases per 100,000 and 15 percent positivity rate, respectively.

Once Putnam County is no longer in the red, masks will return to being recommended but not required, provided that the positivity rate of the individual school is below five percent.

Among Indiana’s 92 counties, 81 are currently in the red, with the other 11 all rated orange, the second-highest alert level.

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  • Cause that helped...

    -- Posted by Youseriousclark? on Thu, Jan 13, 2022, at 6:21 PM

  • I wish we could deal with real numbers. There are between 30,000 and 37,000 people in Putnam County. Do the math and we may have 300 cases not 900.

    -- Posted by spcash on Thu, Jan 13, 2022, at 10:11 PM
  • *

    Follow the science.

    Except when the science contradicts what the government says...

    Follow the government.

    Remember, folks, its just for two weeks to flatten the curve.

    -- Posted by dreadpirateroberts on Thu, Jan 13, 2022, at 11:52 PM

  • The facts are masks work! It should have been in place when the students returned from Christmas break! It’s a simple task that could prevent the spread of COVID 19, influenza and the common cold.

    -- Posted by Nurse4life!! on Fri, Jan 14, 2022, at 6:28 AM

  • Masks do help. What is interesting is the end of the last sentence. Interesting take that we should wear masks because of influenza and colds.

    -- Posted by beg on Fri, Jan 14, 2022, at 7:57 AM

  • JUST WEAR A MASK. IF IT HELPS ONE PERSON FROM GETTING COVID IT IS WORTH IT. THIS IS NOT A GOVERNMENT TAKE OVER. IT'S COMMON SENSE.

    -- Posted by Queen53 on Fri, Jan 14, 2022, at 11:23 AM

  • Queen, agree with you on COVID. How do you feel about colds?

    -- Posted by beg on Fri, Jan 14, 2022, at 12:25 PM

  • Masks should have stayed required in the school at all times! Especially with the number of cases that have been reported. Sending kids to school without masks is like sending them into a Covid crockpot!

    -- Posted by putnam_comp on Fri, Jan 14, 2022, at 1:12 PM

  • Good

    -- Posted by GladysK on Sat, Jan 15, 2022, at 1:03 PM

  • Better mandate type of masks. CDC came out with some new guidelines on what masks are effective.

    -- Posted by beg on Sun, Jan 16, 2022, at 2:24 PM
  • *

    Waste of time.

    -- Posted by DouglasQuaid on Sun, Jan 16, 2022, at 8:43 PM
  • *

    According to COVID-Furher Fauci, masks don't work...

    https://rumble.com/vrppwa-over-150-studies-find-that-wearing-masks-makes-no-diff...

    Yeah, its from OAN. Yeah, its an editorial.

    But the fact remains that Fauci on several recent occasions says that people should not be walking around with masks.

    And no one is forcing you to NOT wear a mask. You can wear a hazmat suit if you want. The issue is forcing people to wear them for no other reason than to allay your own fear.

    I know for a fact that the Mill Creek/Cascade school system doesn't have a mask mandate for students and there doesn't seem to be some localized 'rona pandemic replay any worse than it has always been.

    -- Posted by dreadpirateroberts on Sun, Jan 16, 2022, at 11:35 PM

  • Everyone should make sure to check out OAN’s stop the steal editorials while they are on that site linked above. They are precious.

    -- Posted by Koios on Mon, Jan 17, 2022, at 9:44 AM

  • I think those that dislike the former President have a greater fetish with him than those who support the past President.

    -- Posted by beg on Mon, Jan 17, 2022, at 10:15 AM

  • oh, and yes, playbook

    -- Posted by beg on Mon, Jan 17, 2022, at 10:16 AM

  • beg - Speaking of fetishes, I can't believe you didn't use one of your stupid acronyms. SLLC, CLLS, SCLS etc. They change depending on how much you've had to drink.

    -- Posted by BJCP96 on Mon, Jan 17, 2022, at 11:22 AM

  • You left out SLCL

    Note once again, that the SLCL congregants follow the playbook and stay away from the discussion of real issues.

    I hope that makes up for me disappointing you.

    BTW- why do you say stupid? I find that, on many levels, an interesting position to take.

    -- Posted by beg on Mon, Jan 17, 2022, at 11:26 AM

  • Glad the B-G comment section isn’t running South district. Stupid pointless handkerchiefs that even “science” agrees are almost completely ineffective, and possibly harmful, yet nearly 50% of the population still thinks our children should be forced to wear them. Clown world.

    -- Posted by techphcy on Mon, Jan 17, 2022, at 2:35 PM
  • *

    Koios -

    I prefaced with the fact that it was an OAN EDITORIAL.

    But that doesn't detract from the video footage shown of COVID-Fuhrer Fauci himself specifically stating that Americans should not be running around with masks on, and that the masks that people are buying at the drug store (and elsewhere) don't do anything.

    But of course, you decided to shoot the messenger rather than discuss the message.

    But you don't have a narrative to push, do you? LOL

    -- Posted by dreadpirateroberts on Mon, Jan 17, 2022, at 5:03 PM

  • The narrative is being tolerant of those that agree with me! lol

    -- Posted by beg on Mon, Jan 17, 2022, at 5:05 PM

  • Gosh it's almost like medical professionals can't change their opinion on something as more research and science comes out.

    It's really not the "Gotcha" you think it is. LOL

    -- Posted by BJCP96 on Mon, Jan 17, 2022, at 5:22 PM

  • I wish for this type of practical sense to be used more often rather than only when it supports an individual or groups position.

    -- Posted by beg on Mon, Jan 17, 2022, at 7:48 PM
  • *

    @BJCP96, if "science changes" when learning about something somewhat trivial (such as the effectiveness of a mask against an airborne pathogen), then it's well within justifiable reasoning to expect many to hold these vaccines suspect to the same level changing science, too. If we're not sure about something related to a vaccine, it's best not to mandate it. Science can change, right? And since these vaccines haven't had any long-term study, it's lunacy to coercively-mandate them.

    It'd be great to feel as if we can all trust Dr. Fauci et al because they're all supposed to be "the experts," and yet, if he can get mask use wrong, then do you think it's within reason to hold that man suspect of being human enough to also get the long-term effects of these vaccines wrong, too? I think it is. Any reasonable person would.

    -- Posted by DouglasQuaid on Mon, Jan 17, 2022, at 10:18 PM

  • Oh oh DQ. Practical sense going to mess up the CSLL congregants and their theological leadership

    -- Posted by beg on Mon, Jan 17, 2022, at 10:32 PM
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