BACK TO NORMAL IN THE CLASSROOM: No masks, mass testing  or vaccines will be forced on Vermont students during the upcoming school year.

After closing down much of the economy and making unprecedented requirements for quarantines and masking during the initial COVID-19 mitigation effort, it appears this year the state of Vermont will be treating the coronavirus more like a seasonal flu.

A memo released Wednesday by the Vermont Agency of Education advises school nurses to use their own judgment on how to manage kids as they get sick this school year — including new testing protocols and working more closely with local health offices.

“This recommendation builds on the strong partnerships built between schools and pediatricians over last two school years,” the release states.

Health Commissioner Mark Levine commented on the shift towards having school nurses be mostly in charge.

“School nurses have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to keep students healthy,” he said. “As we begin to think of COVID-19 as an endemic disease, we once again need to shift our thinking. COVID-19, like the flu, is now a part of our lives.”

The flu has actually been surprisingly absent from much of the world since the onset of COVID-19, according to CDC data.

The AOE memo is a radical change from the strict masking and vaccine requirements and business closures of 2020 and 2021 during the onset of the virus, as political leaders have noted the negative impacts of lockdown-type measures. Such changes are in line with relaxed pandemic guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued this week.

Schools in Vermont will have plenty of tests on hand, including the antigen and the LAMP tests. Both in-school and take-home versions will be available, and the decisions on who gets tested will again be left up to the nurse.

Also, students will not be required to take another COVID-19 test in order to get back into school.

Education Secretary Dan French said officials will continue to monitor the virus.

“We will no doubt continue to see cases of COVID-19 in our communities and in our schools,” he said, “But with the advent of vaccination and new treatments, the risks from COVID-19 are much lower than they were two years ago. I am very optimistic that the opening of school this year will proceed with minimal interruption from COVID-19.”

Other parts of the world are also changing their tune on COVID-19 policies. In Costa Rica, a new report says that even following the recent election of new leadership, the historically strict nation on vaccine policies withdrew all COVID vaccine requirements and its mask mandates. The report also indicates that the new government will start investigations into their predecessors on contracts with vaccine companies.

A new Harris survey reveals that voters do not consider COVID-19 a priority. It failed to make the top three issues of concern and barely held onto the fourth place, just ahead of rising concerns about drugs and crime.

“The coronavirus failed to make the top three issues, even as voters were asked to choose three. It dropped to fourth place with 18 percent, but crime and drugs came closely behind with 17 percent, reflecting a three percent increase,” Breitbart News reports.

Michael Bielawski is a reporter for True North. Send him news tips at bielawski82@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @TrueNorthMikeB.