WILLIAMSBURG-JAMES CITY COUNTY — Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools (WJCC) is continuing to provide COVID-19 prevention measures to ensure that students, faculty, and staff are in a healthy learning environment.
The school district is now helping to provide vaccinations to students who are 5-11 years old. The decision follows a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation that children in this particular age bracket are now able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
WJCC is partnering with The Williamsburg Drug Company to offer free COVID-19 vaccinations for students ages 5 years and older as well as WJCC employees on Saturday, Nov. 20. The free clinic will be hosted at James Blair Middle School from 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. For more information, parents can visit The Williamsburg Drug Company’s website.
Another vaccination option is through the Virginia Department of Health (VDH). The organization is offering Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines to any child ages 5-11 living in Virginia. For more information, parents can visit the COVID Vaccine Clinic Search on the VDH website.
One new preventative measure was announced late last month. On Oct. 25, WJCC announced that it would start accepting the BinaxNow COVID-19 test. The new COVID-19 testing option is open to WJCC students and staff members who are designated as:
- close contacts and unvaccinated,
- vaccinated close contacts who begin exhibiting symptoms,
- individuals sent home by the nurse for exhibiting symptoms.
The test can be administered entirely remotely in the convenience of the user’s own home. It’s the only at-home testing kit that the WJCC school district currently accepts.
On day five or later of COVID-19 quarantine, the user of the BinaxTest administers the test guided remotely by a live telehealth medical professional. Students and staff who test negative are allowed to return back to school on day eight. Families of students and staff who qualify for the BinaxNow test can receive a testing kit from their school’s main office.
Locals interested in seeing covid data provided by the VDH can check out WYDaily’s most recently published COVID-19 tracker. The COVID -19 tracker presents data from Williamsburg, York County, and James City County.
Parents who are seeking additional information are recommended to contact WJCC Schools.
