HOUSTON — We've seen a lot of long COVID testing lines recently.
“I kind of knew it was going to be a wait (but) I didn’t think it would be quite this long," one parent said.
“It’s been pretty quick," another said.
But as Houston Independent School District prepares to return to school on Monday from the winter break, parents like Hugo Hipo didn’t seem to mind the wait outside of Westbury High School to make sure students and staff had the opportunity to get tested.
“A lot of the kids … everybody’s family got together and stuff like that. It’s a good thing," Hipo said.
For Jennifer McCord, who said she’s a parent and teacher, the offer from HISD for students and staff to get tested for free gives her more peace of mind.
“Yeah, I definitely feel more relaxed knowing if people have done that and checked to make sure their kiddos are good to be in with the group,” McCord said.
Especially, she said, in light of the surging, highly contagious omicron variant.
“Definitely. The concern for me is that it spreads more quickly," McCord said.
The district offered multiple testing locations over the last several days and as students, like 12-year-old Aidan, get ready to get back to class, they hope testing will help limit spread.
“I will know my safety and if I have COVID or not," he said.
His mom Chacondra agrees.
“At least it helps limit the number of cases that could be going back to the school unknowingly," she said.
Everyone is hoping for a safe return.
“I wish it were done a little bit sooner so we had some more time to know about the results, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction," McCord said.
HISD also said it will be keeping its mask mandate in place at all district facilities, schools and buses.