January 2022 Isolation and Quarantine Guidelines
COVID-19 School Webcast (September 9)
Back to School Guidance (7/20/2021)
ISHD Quick Reference Guide (updated 12/7/2020)
ISHD with new CDC Guideline School Algorithms and Guidance (updated 12/7/2020)
Important School Update (10/13/2020)
ORDER 08 18 2020 NOTICE FACE COVERING.pdf
ORDER 08 18 2020 FACE COVERING.PDF
Employee/Student Return to School Guidance After Exposure (as of 8-18-2020)
ISHD Description School Update 8-25-20
ISHD Chart 20_Return to School_8-25-20
School Algorithms and Guidance
Clarification on guidance stating what a high-risk close contact is. What counts as a close contact:
You were within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more. This is now 15 CUMULATIVE minutes, not consecutive minutes. This can include single encounters of more than 15 minutes during the day OR multiple interactions within a single day, adding up to more than 15 minutes. This may really affect some of your processes and the contact tracing you are doing.
You provided care at home to someone who is sick with COVID-19.
You had direct physical contact with a confirmed case (hugged or kissed them)
You shared eating/drinking utensils.
A confirmed case sneezed/coughed, or somehow got respiratory droplets on you.
You live with or stayed overnight for at least one in a household with an infected person.
These close contact criteria apply regardless of mask use, face shields, or physical barriers. The only exception is if it occurs in a healthcare setting with appropriate PPE.
New Symptom Screening Guidelines – the CDC has updated the symptoms you are checking to rule out some of the more common/mild symptoms that are often attributed to many other things outside of COVID-19. You are now asked to focus on the following symptoms:
The person has a temperature of 100.4 degrees F or higher when taken by mouth.
Sore throat
New uncontrolled cough that causes difficulty breathing (for students with chronic allergic/asthmatic cough, a change in their cough from baseline)
Diarrhea, vomiting, or abdominal pain
New onset of severe headache, especially with fever
Loss of taste or smell
Updated guidance on when a person who has tested NEGATIVE can return to school: anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 who had a negative test and is NOT a close contact of someone with confirmed COVID-19 may return to school under the following guidelines:
Must be 24 hours fever free without the use of medications
Other symptoms resolved
No doctor's note is required.
REMINDER THOUGH – if this person is close contact to a confirmed case they MUST complete the 14-day quarantine even if they test negative
Updated guidance on isolation/quarantine of symptomatic people and their siblings or family members:
Anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 who is NOT tested must isolate for ten days, and anyone in their household (including siblings) are considered close contacts and must quarantine for 14-days. No contact tracing will be done at the school – it will only include household contacts.
If the symptomatic person without a positive test is diagnosed with another condition that explains the symptoms, or tests negative, then no quarantine for close contacts is necessary.
If not tested, a provider's note with the alternate diagnosis will be needed to return to school before the end of isolation/quarantine.
Asymptomatic person and anyone living in their household should quarantine while waiting for test results – This is a pretty big change that will affect many of you. You now need to advise not only the symptomatic case but also the other siblings and family members associated with the school to stay home until the appropriate criteria are met to return.
School employees are now considered essential employees. The federal government updated the CISA guidance last week, and it now includes school employees as essential workers. What this means for you is that if a school's ability to continue operations hinges on an employee that has been placed in quarantine, that employee is allowed to return to work during their quarantine period if the following criteria are met:
The employee must remain asymptomatic and conduct temperature and symptom checks at the start of each day.
The employee must mask at all times.
The employee must maintain a distance of 6ft from others while at work.
The facility must ensure frequent cleaning and disinfection of all high-touch areas throughout the building each day.
*Important note – the lowest risk option is always to have exposed individuals stay home for the entire 14-day quarantine period. This decision is open to your discretion; however, we strongly encourage the 14-day quarantine whenever possible.