PHOENIX (AZFamily) —It’s that time of the year, back to school.

Some districts have already started classes, and the largest school district in the state, Mesa Public Schools, begins August 1.

There is currently a surge in COVID cases right now according to the Arizona Department of Health Services but the State Superintendent of Education says schools will continue to operate normally.

Earlier this year, the CDC ended its previously recommended 5-day isolation period for those who test positive for COVID.

Now, they recommend treating COVID the same as the flu or RSV.

This means staying home for 24 hours after your fever breaks.

This change is something State Superintendent of Education Tom Horne supports.

“It was a huge mistake in my opinion to close schools. The academic damage was horrendous. We are still experiencing the consequences of it,” Horne said.

Horne is addressing concerns about a recent surge in COVID cases in Arizona as students are heading back to school to start the academic year.

“I think some students will be handicapped permanently as a result of not being able to go to school during that time. So if anybody talks about closing school I will fight it as hard as I can,” Horne said.

Horne says he feels students are still making up for lost time after schools transitioned to virtual learning when the pandemic reached its peak.

So, he says his goal is to keep kids in the classroom.

But what if they get sick?

“If a student has anything, has a normal cold, we urge them to stay home so they get the proper rest and so they don’t infect other students,” Horne said.

Horne is citing the CDC’s new recommended guidelines that treat COVID like any other respiratory virus and says students should not be at school if they are sick.

“We do not want the patients to return to school or to work until their fever has resolved and they have been without a fever for 24 hours,” said Dr. Wassim Ballan, an Infectious Disease expert at Phoenix Children’s.

Ballan says the recommendations are now in line with those for any respiratory infection.

But says if you have symptoms of a virus it’s still important to get tested.

“That will be helpful for multiple reasons, number one the knowledge of what the disease is and what the expectation should be and that also helps to protect some vulnerable people the patient might be around,” Ballan said.

Though the five-day isolation period is not recommended, the CDC still encourages masking in public for up to ten days after someone is diagnosed with a respiratory illness to help fight the spread.

Ballan says it’s not confirmed yet, but there will likely be an updated COVID vaccine this fall, similar to how we see new flu shots every season.

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PHOENIX – Republican Vice President candidate JD Vance made a trip to the Valley on Wednesday, his first since being named former President Donald Trump’s running mate.

The United States senator for Ohio spoke at a rally in Glendale at Arizona Christian University on Wednesday. Vance greeted the crowd of about 1,000 by telling them the path to Trump’s reelection starts in Arizona.

Vance spoke for about half an hour and addressed issues at the border and with immigration. The vice presidential candidate promoted the campaign’s promises to lower prices of food and housing, bring back manufacturing jobs and restore Americas dominance in energy and low taxes.

“In just a few months, Arizona is going to lead a great American restoration,” Vance said.

Throughout the speech, Vance returned to the campaign’s promises to close the border and stop drug cartels from bringing in drugs like fentanyl into the United States. He challenged Vice President Kamala Harris on her history with border issues, including an accusation that Harris and President Joe Biden of purposefully allowing illegal immigrants into the country.

“They might as well have sent hand drawn invitations to millions of illegal immigrants all over the world, including by the way, violent criminals and terrorists,” Vance said.

As part of his trip to Arizona, Vance will be visiting the Arizona-Mexico border on Thursday.

Vance also targeted Harris at the beginning of his speech, accusing her of being a “phony” and alleging that her bid for presidency is a coup.

The Ohio Senator heads to the border in Cochise County tomorrow. @KTAR923 pic.twitter.com/s7atEJRFvy

— Heidi Hommel (@heidi_hommel) August 1, 2024

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Vance’s time at ACU was scattered with various guest speakers, first introducing Kari Lake and congratulating her on her primary victory as the Arizona Republican nominee for U.S. senator.

In her time on stage, Lake spoke on how Vance was one of the first people to support her decision to run for the U.S. Senate. Lake told the story of Vance encouraging her to run because she would resist “the swamp.”

“I want to go there [Washington D.C.] and be a senator much like Senator Vance has been, somebody who votes for America first policy, even if he is getting the stink eye from the swampier people in the swamp,” Lake said.

Sara Workman, an Arizona mother who spoke at the Republican National Convention, was also called up by Vance to talk. She talked at the RNC about the financial struggles she faces along with the drug epidemic.

On Wednesday, Workman called this election “a battle between good and evil.”

Other Arizona Republican politicians were highlighted in his speech, including Paul Gosar, Debbie Lesko and Andy Biggs.

In between chants of “USA!” and “Trump, Vance,” he promised that Trump’s presidency would rebuild American factories and put a stop to environmental focused projects.

CORDES LAKE, AZ (AZFamily) — The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a baby was left alone in the car in Cordes Lake.

Details about the death are extremely limited. The deputies said they received a report of an 8-month-old who had been left in the car and was believed to be dead sometime after 9 p.m. Tuesday night.

Deputies and paramedics arrived and confirmed the death, which the department called a “tragedy.”

No other information has been released. Arizona’s Family has reached out to YCSO for more information.

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