Those who are a direct contact of someone who tested positive for COVID can continue to attend school. All direct contacts will need to monitor themselves for any symptoms of Covid. If the contact is at home and the student cannot isolate from the positive case that student will need to wear a mask for ten days after the exposure, monitor for symptoms and test if any arise. The CDC has defined direct contact as someone who was less than 6 feet away from an infected person (laboratory-confirmed or a clinical diagnosis) for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period. The foregoing applies to all individuals regardless of vaccination status or history of prior COVID infection. In addition, we note that the Test-to-Stay (TTS) program, which established a sequence of testing protocols based on vaccination status, is no longer recommended.
Those who test positive for COVID must isolate (stay home) for five (5) days. They can return to school on day 6 if they have no symptoms or their symptoms have improved and must wear a well-fitting mask for ten (10) after their symptoms began or the positive test date (whichever is earlier).
In both scenarios, a person who cannot wear a well-fitting mask for any reason will have to quarantine or isolate at home for ten (10) days and may not attend school during this time. The Health Office Team will continue to work with community members to assure that this guidance is followed.