COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Cape Girardeau County continue to rise weekly. During the month of August, the total number of cases rose to over 11,000, and active cases rose into the hundreds.
The Cape Girardeau County mask mandate was lifted on April 26th, 2021, however city buildings continue to require face coverings upon entry, as well as various local businesses.
With the spread of the Delta variant, and schools returning to session, some Missouri schools have re-evaluated their COVID-19 protection plans, and even re-instated mask mandates.
On August 31st, the Cape Girardeau School board met to address their new plan for the fall 2021 semester, establishing a mask mandate for all students, faculty, and staff at all Cape Girardeau Public Schools.
There has been a reported 28 students infected with COVID-19, and over one hundred more are in quarantine.
At the time of this story, other school boards in Southeastern Missouri, including districts in Perry County and Scott County had not publicly announced school-wide mask mandates, despite growing rises in COVID-19 cases.
