Rockingham County Schools issued the following announcement on Sep 25.
RCS received updated guidance and we are now permitted to implement shortened quarantine criteria! On September 20, 2021, RCS received a document from NCDHHS on quarantine clarification detailing this information.
The StrongSchoolsNC Toolkit only requires minimum physical distancing (no longer 6 feet) as a mitigation strategy for determining quarantine return dates. Therefore, RCS is now able to apply the shortened quarantine criteria for students and staff.
The new quarantine guidance no longer requires full 14 days of quarantine for individuals directly exposed to COVID-19. There are shortened quarantine options that RCS is required to follow for students and staff:
-10 days of quarantine if the person has no symptoms; OR
-7 days of quarantine if the person has no symptoms, and the individual has received results of a negative antigen (i.e. rapid test) or PCR/molecular test that was conducted no earlier than day 5 of quarantine.
If someone has COVID-19 symptoms or a COVID-19 diagnosis, the shortened criteria does not apply in these cases. There are a different set of criteria to be followed for these situations including:
-COVID-19 Diagnosis: Individuals will have to quarantine for 10 days and have symptom improvement.
-COVID-19 Symptoms: Individuals will have to quarantine until:
-A negative test has been received and symptoms are better for 24 hours; OR
-A healthcare provider visit has occurred and an alternative reason has been determined and healthcare provider note is provided returning the individual to school/work; OR
If no test or provider visit occurs, the individual will quarantine 10 days from symptoms onset.
*REMEMBER: COVID-19 exposure is defined as less than 6 feet for more than 15 minutes as determined by the CDC and NCDHHS StrongSchoolsNC Toolkit. For students, this applies to times being unmasked.
For more details, please refer to the RCS website and look for the “RCS Cares About Your Safety” button.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Rockingham County Schools
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