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COVID-19 coverage

February 17, 2022

Prematurely lifting mandates to ‘return to normal’ is wishful thinking

A number of Washington students — including hundreds of students who have protested K-12 mask mandates in Washougal, Ridgefield and Cowlitz County this month — are joining a growing list of people across the globe who are fed up with public health mitigations meant to slow the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.

February 17, 2022
A group protests school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic in front of the Washougal School District headquarters on Dec. 17, 2020. (Doug Flanagan/Post-Record)

New Washougal group aims to address ‘homegrown extremism’

In 2021, a group of Camas and Washougal residents came together to discuss critical race theory — an academic movement that examines social, cultural and legal issues as they relate to race and racism — and to try to figure out why CRT had become a highlight of contentious school board meetings across the country.

February 3, 2022
Several people who refused to follow public health rules regarding face coverings sit inside the Washougal School District's meeting room before a Washougal School Board meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022. (Contributed photo courtesy of Wendi Moose)

Anti-maskers shut down Washougal School Board meeting

The Washougal School Board said it postponed a public meeting after multiple people in the audience refused to follow a state mandate requiring face coverings inside public school board meetings to help curb the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

January 13, 2022
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee speaks about the surge of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations caused by the omicron variant -- and the state's plan to send millions of at-home COVID-19 tests to Washingtonians --during a remote press conference on Jan. 5, 2022. (Screenshot by Kelly Moyer/Post-Record)

Inslee responds to virus surge

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee responded last week to the recent COVID-19 surge caused by the highly contagious omicron variant.

January 13, 2022
A welcome sign greets visitors at the Camas School District's headquarters Aug. 24, 2021. (Kelly Moyer/Post-Record files)

Camas School District: ‘In-person is our priority’

Camas School District officials said this week they are committed to maintaining in-person learning amid surging COVID-19 infections — fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant — that have led to staffing shortages and student absences throughout the region and prompted a return to remote learning in several Vancouver-Portland area schools.

December 23, 2021

Give health care ‘heroes’ a gift this holiday season: listen to their cries for help

The message coming from doctors and public health officials this week is loud and clear: The omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 is an extremely contagious virus – second only to measles with cases doubling every two to three days – and is threatening to sink our already stressed-beyond-belief health care system.