October 8, 2021
On Tuesday, October 5, MAKO team members joined with South Carolina State State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman, Department of Health and Environmental Control Director of Public Health Dr. Brannon Traxler, and Greenville County Schools Superintendent Dr. Burke Royster to unveil a new partnership to provide COVID-19 testing to K-12 students across the state.
Each speaker highlighted the importance of K-12 testing, especially in reducing quarantine times and getting students back to school sooner.
MAKO has partnered with 9 South Carolina counties to provide PCR testing through on-site screenings and events.
“We’re here to celebrate another tool that is available to help us be sure that we can have children back in school, face-to-face with their teachers,” said State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman.
“We all have the same agenda here, and that’s to get our children back into school, in-person safely,” said Dr. Brannon Traxler, Director of Public Health for DHEC.
“One of our greatest concerns with dealing with all issues around the pandemic is the amount of lost time that students experience from class, and this is another tool to help us reduce that amount of lost time while still focusing on the health and safety of our students our employees and our community,” said Greenville County Schools Superintendent Dr. Burke Royster.
MEDIA COVERAGE
- Education, health leaders talk about free COVID-19 testing for Greenville County students, staff, WYFF.
- Greenville schools’ COVID testing sites underused despite effort to shorten quarantines, Post and Courier Greenville.
- S.C. Department of Education, DHEC unveil new COVID testing program, WTOC
- Greenville County School District wants more people to use its COVID testing sites, Greenville News.