Santa Ana Unified drops mandatory Covid testing

Santa Ana Unified, which was Orange County’s only school district to mandate Covid-19 testing for all students and staff last year, is ending the requirement this year, the Orange County Register reported.

Last year, the district’s 40,000 students and 5,000 staff members were tested weekly at school sites.

“Vendors don’t get reimbursed by Covid funds. The demand is not as high as it was back then,” district spokesman Fermin Leal said.

In lieu of mandatory testing, the district plans to offer voluntary testing for students and their families, according to the Register.