Purifiers at Tobias and Fuentes elementary schools and Dahlstrom Middle School are expected to be fully installed by Jan. 5, while the rest should be installed in the coming weeks, Chief Communications Officer Tim Savoy said.
Installations began at Tobias Elementary because in September more than 10% of the campus tested positive for the coronavirus, triggering a full campus closure. Dahlstrom Middle School has also experienced many coronavirus cases and came close to a closure during the fall, Savoy said.
The air purifiers are meant to neutralize viruses such as the flu and coronavirus as well as reducing other airborne contaminants, according to the district’s website.
Due to the rise in COVID-19 cases amid the omicron surge, the district decided to suspend its plans to relax visitor restrictions on campus that were meant to be loosened.
Though there is no mask mandate in place in HCISD, the district does have a dashboard that reports all COVID-19 cases by date and campus.
