Ken MClemore

HOPE – The return to instruction throughout the Hope Public Schools on Monday brought new emphasis upon the need to maintain healthy habits in a year affected by the COVID-19 health crisis as students conclude the fall semester.

All campuses of the Hope Public Schools returned to on-site and online instruction Monday after students and faculty observed the annual Thanksgiving holiday break. The three-week instructional period between Nov. 30 and the beginning of the Christmas holiday break on Dec. 21 will conclude the fall semester, but also requires students and faculty to remember to keep best practices in place.

The Arkansas Department of Health, CDC, and Arkansas Department of Education continue to recommend that students and faculty wear face coverings while on campus or while involved in school-related activities. The practice of “social distancing” should also continue to be encouraged on each campus, and frequent hand washing and/or the use of hand sanitizer should be practiced.

“We should keep in mind that COVID-19 has not subsided; and, the holidays are a time when infection can rise,” HPS Superintendent Dr. Bobby Hart said. “Parents, students and teachers should remember, and we cannot emphasize enough, the value of wearing a mask, social distancing, and good hand hygiene.”

The ADH and CDC have issued guidance which has shown COVID-19 as an illness with varying symptoms, not all of which are necessary to test “positive” for the disease.

“The virus spreads from one person to another,” the ADE Healthy School Guide notes. “It spreads when people are near each other. COVID-19 may be spread by people who are not showing symptoms. Although people may not feel sick, they still can spread the virus to other people.”

Known symptoms of COVID-19 include but are not always inclusive of fever, cough, nasal congestion or drainage, sore throat, shortness of breath, sudden loss of taste or smell, persistent diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, headaches, and/or muscle or body aches.