Washington Students, Staff Need Negative COVID-19 Tests to Return to School, Mayor Says

Equaltox Laboratory personel test samples for coronavirus in Tustin, Calif., on Sept. 3, 2020. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

All public school students, teachers, and staff in Washington D.C. will have to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test result before they head back to classrooms from winter break, according to the city’s new plan released Wednesday.

While the 2021-2022 school year at D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) still begins on Jan. 3 as originally planned, Jan. 3 and 4 are now designated non-instructional days to allow families and staff to pick up a test and use it before returning to class on Jan. 5.