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County health director sends letter of COVID recommendations to CMS superintendent

CHARLOTTE — As thousands of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools students get ready to head back to school on Wednesday, a source sent Channel 9 a copy of a letter that county Health Director Gibbie Harris sent to Superintendent Earnest Winston, outlining several COVID-19 safety recommendations.

In the letter, Harris recommends CMS hire additional staff to handle COVID-19 protocols, on-site rapid testing for symptomatic students or staff for contact tracing, as well as weekly testing of staff who haven’t submitted proof of vaccination.

>> Read the letter here.

Harris said in the letter that she is concerned and needs a strong sense of urgency by CMS toward implementing the recommendations to “ensure we start the school year ahead of the curve instead of behind it.”

>> In the video at the top of this webpage, anchor Damany Lewis breaks down the letter and takes a closer look at what the health department hopes CMS will put in place for the new school year.

(WATCH BELOW: CMS teachers prepared for challenges of new school year)