New Jersey Senate Candidate Emma Mammano Calls on Ocean County Leadership to Use Reserves from the American Rescue Plan to Fund Daily Rapid Testing for Students 

Brick, New Jersey – September 15, 2021- New Jersey candidate for state senate Emma Mammano wants to make sure Ocean County kids return to school safely and are able to continue with in-person learning through June. As COVID-19 cases continue to spike across the state, and as the United States is seeing a higher rate in children, Mammano is calling on Ocean County officials to set aside politics as usual for the safe return of students and teachers alike.

The Brick Township mother of three and senate candidate believes that while it is important to return to in-person learning for the psychological health of students, it is imperative that the state do its part to protect students, families, and staff from Covid-19 by providing free rapid testing. If elected, Mammano wants to use federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) to fund daily rapid testing for students who exhibit possible COVID-19 symptoms. In March, when the pandemic hit Ocean County, local governments received a total of $117.76 million of the $10.189 billion aid package in direct, flexible, federal assistance allocated to New Jersey in the American Rescue Plan. Mammano wants thorough and transparent reporting on how these funds are being spent, and she wants a portion of these funds to pay for rapid testing.

Since the reopening of schools, New Jersey has been experiencing a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases across the state. On September 14, NJ.com reported 1,758 new cases and 22 deaths across the Garden State. On Wednesday, News 12 New Jersey reported that there are five positive cases in Jersey City, one case in Howell High School, and 20 students and faculty members have tested positive for COVID-19 at Ocean County College.

Children under the age of 12 do not have an option to be vaccinated at this time. Mammano believes New Jersey parents need to be aware of methods to prevent infection amongst younger children. According to experts, masking, practicing good hygiene, and social distancing are all proven to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The concern for Mammano is that students in school all day may not be able to consistently engage in these measures, especially when a number of districts in Ocean County have opted to make masks optional due to heat.

“Although we all want this pandemic to be over and life to return to normal, we cannot pretend the coronavirus is gone or be complacent when case numbers are rising. So while we may disagree regarding measures like mask-wearing, or vaccination mandates, we can all agree that we want our children to be healthy and stay in school all year,” Mammano explained.

“Regular testing will allow us to detect Covid-19 cases before an outbreak occurs, enabling children to remain in the classroom, parents to remain on the job, and extended family and community members to stay safe,” she added.

Mammano’s plan is based on the recommendations of Harvard Epidemiologist Michael Mina, who has advocated for rapid testing as a public health tool.  His research shows that rapid tests are extremely accurate when it comes to determining whether someone is contagious or not.  If a child has been in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19, the exposed child’s caretaker can conduct quick and convenient rapid tests at home each morning. If a test is negative, the child is safe to attend school and will not infect others.  If it is positive, a PCR test would then be needed to confirm the diagnosis, and the child would remain at home for the recommended quarantine period. Minna’s method is known as “test to stay” since it eliminates the need for large groups of children to be quarantined and kept out of the classroom.

An alternative to the in-home testing is a school-based testing program for which funds also exist. This consists of regular screening of groups of children to detect cases before there are symptoms. Research has shown that once symptoms emerge, it is too late to prevent a cluster of infected kids. Through regular screening, cases can be caught early and any child that tests positive will temporarily be removed from the classroom, allowing the rest of the class to remain healthy and in school.

“In this county alone, there are many multi-generational homes, and when one family member is sick, it escalates the exposure and impacts hospitalization rates,” Mammano stated. “Ocean County is still a high-risk county and the numbers will only increase as we enter the colder season. As the old adage goes, a failure to plan is a plan to fail.  And we cannot continue to fail our children in this regard.”

“The bottom line is that especially if masks are optional, some type of testing protocol is necessary or we could end up with everyone back in a virtual learning environment,” Mammano emphasized. “If we want our kids in school, and if we want our economy to recover, we must invest in a screening program.”

For more information about Emma Mammano for NJ State Senate, visit www.emmafornjsenate.com.