Following a confirmed infection related to an Oklahoma childcare facility, Oklahoma’s State Department of Health issued new guidance on Thursday that will limit public access and bar sick children from the state’s childcare centers.
Under the new guidelines, parents are required to drop their children off at the door of the facility where their temperature will be taken before entry. Anyone with a fever above 100.4 degrees, symptoms of a respiratory infection like a cough or has come into contact with someone with COVID-19 in the last two weeks will not be allowed inside.
Family style meals will be prohibited in classrooms. Visitors outside of law enforcement, licensing professionals, staff and parents are prohibited.
The guidelines also call for a 48 hour closure and thorough cleaning if a case is confirmed in a facility.. That’s in accordance with Centers for Disease Control guidelines.
Earlier in the week, the state’s Department of Human Services asked childcare centers to stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic. The department’s director Justin Brown said in a letter to childcare professionals, it’s vital that centers stay open to care for the children of medical workers and other first responders.
In his press conference Wednesday, Governor Kevin Stitt said his administration is working with churches and other non-profits to add childcare capacity for school-aged children.
