Several new rules have been announced for students and employees at the Glendale Unified School District, due to the alarming rise of COVID-19 cases, both locally and worldwide. A GUSD email reassured us that we will be returning to school on January 10th, but with a new set of rules.

GUSD Chief Human Resources Officer, Dr. Darneika Watson, confirmed that all “students and employees are required to receive negative results on a COVID-19 test (at-home, rapid, or PCR) prior to returning to school or work.”

In addition, masks will now be required at all times, even outside. A question will also be added on Ruvna, where students will confirm that they have received a negative COVID-19 test. Those who do not test will be considered a positive case, and will be required to follow quarantine guidelines. 

If you don’t know where to get a test, see the GUSD COVID-19 testing page to see all testing opportunities that the district will provide free of charge.

According to the Glendale COVID-19 dashboard, on January 2, 2022, Glendale reported 856 positive COVID-19 cases, which is almost double the amount of cases reported at the terrible single-day spike we saw on December 26, 2020, when Glendale reported 433 cases.

LA County has also reported 22,632 new cases of COVID-19 on January 4, the highest single-day rise in cases, totaling over 1.78 million.

This rise in cases is mostly due to the Omicron variant of COVID-19, which was first discovered in South Africa. On December 1, 2021, the Omicron variant was detected in the US, carried by a fully-vaccinated passenger who flew from South Africa to California. Just one day later, the Omicron variant was detected in LA County and other states.

According to the World Health Organization, the Omicron variant has “a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning.” This includes 32 mutations of the spike protein, which is the protein that allows the virus to enter and infect cells.

Please get tested, wear your mask, and stay safe, Nitros!