Dear Oakers,
As many of you know this week we have had several students out for either illness with COVID or quarantined because of a family member ill with COVID. I have been in communication with Douglas Public Health Network to determine guidelines around quarantines as we are fielding lots of calls and questions. They are unable to keep up and are asking schools to take on this role for students and staff. These are the guidelines they have provided to schools as we are doing much of the work that they were previously able to do.
1. If an individual is positive for COVID that person must quarantine for 10 days either from the day of the onset of symptoms if they can pinpoint that or from the day the person tested positive.
2. If the individual is a direct contact (no mask and within 6 feet a total of 15 mins throughout the day) that person must quarantine for 10 days.
3. If a person lives in the same household (siblings, spouse, significant other, children, etc) and cannot separate themselves within the household then they are considered to be a close contact and must quarantine the initial 10 days. Once the ill person has isolated for 10 days then another 10-day quarantine starts for the close contacts within the household. This is a direct quote from Douglas Public Health Network to me:
“That means that it is possible that on the 10th day they could have infected their child. If the child then went back to school on the 11th day, then they could possibly spread to their cohort. What we ask is that the child quarantine for the parent’s entire 10 days, then do an additional 10 to make sure they’re out of the woods.” DPHN
If close contacts are fully vaccinated (14 days after receiving second dose of Pfizer or Moderna or single dose of J&J) they do not have to quarantine.
If a close contact has had COVID within the past 90 days and it can be verified with DPHN they do not have to quarantine.
There have been many additional responsibilities placed on our plate this year. I can only ask for continued patience, grace and support as we try to navigate mandates and additional protocols for quarantines, etc that have caused a fair amount of division in our communities. I long for the day in which we as school staff can return to our primary responsibility of educating and caring for your students and children.
Patti Lovemark
