COVID-19
Term Defined
Close Contact:
A Close Contact is a person who shares the same indoor airspace with the infected person during the infectious period (beginning 48-hours before the person’s COVID-19 positive test result or symptom onset) for 15 cumulative minutes or more over a 24-hour period,
Isolation Protocol for Positive Individuals
Individuals who test positive must stay home and follow isolation instructions for 5 days. Parents of a student that tests positive must notify the school immediately.
Protocols for Asymptomatic Close Contacts
Individuals identified as a close contact, regardless of vaccination status, can remain at school or work following exposure to a positive case as long as they monitor for symptoms and remain asymptomatic. They are recommended to wear a highly protective mask (non-cloth) at all times indoors at school/work for 10 days, and to test within 3-5 days after the last date of exposure.
They are recommended, but not required, to wear a highly protective mask at all times indoors (except when eating or drinking) for 10 days following the last date of exposure, and recommended to test with an at-home rapid antigen test between 3-5 days after the last date of exposure.
Isolation Protocol for Positive Individuals
All individuals who test positive for COVID-19 must isolate, at home, for 5 days. “Day 0” represents the date that the positive test was taken, or when symptoms began. “Day 1” represents the day after the positive test was taken or symptoms began.
- Asymptomatic individuals who test positive begin their isolation period with the date of their positive test as Day 0. On day 6 they may return
- Symptomatic individuals who test positive begin their isolation period with their symptom onset date as Day 0. They may end their isolation on Day 6-10 without taking a rapid antigen test provided any symptoms are improving and they are fever-free for the past 24 hours without fever-reducing medication; On day 11, they can return if they have not had a fever in the past 24 hours.
- Individuals who are released from isolation day 6-10 must continue to wear a highly protective mask at all times indoors and around others outdoors, through Day 10. Students may unmask between day 6-10 if they have two sequential negative tests taken at least a day apart. Photographic evidence (labeled) of the positive and negative test results are required to be shared with the school as individuals are being monitored. See examples.
- Individuals are recommended to test with a rapid antigen test before
coming back to school/work; an antigen test should be used since PCR
tests may continue to read positive
- individuals returning from isolation day 6-10 wear a highly protective
mask at all times while at school for 10 days following the date of their
positive test or symptom onset date. Students may remove their mask
between day 6-10 if they have two sequential negative tests taken at
least a day apart;