Isolation and Quarantine Guidance January 20 2022 (Updated Feb. 7, 2022)

Students, teachers, and staff who test positive for COVID-19 and never develop symptoms should isolate for at least 5 days. Day 0 is the day of the positive viral test (based on the date of testing) and day 1 is the first full day after the specimen was collected for the positive test.

• If they continue to have no symptoms, they can end isolation after at least 5 days.
• They should continue to wear a well-fitting mask around others at home and in public until day 10 (day 6 through day 10). If they are unable to wear a mask when around others, they should continue to isolate for 10 days.
• If they develop symptoms after testing positive, the 5-day isolation period should start over. Day 0 is the first day of symptoms. Follow the recommendations above for ending isolation for people who had COVID-19 and had symptoms.

People who have COVID-19 and have or had symptoms should isolate for at least 5 days. To calculate the 5-day isolation period, day 0 is the first day of symptoms. Day 1 is the first full day after their symptoms developed.

• They can end isolation after 5 full days if they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and other symptoms have improved (loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery and need not delay the end of isolation).
• They should continue to wear a well-fitting mask around others at home and in public for 5 additional days (day 6 through day 10) after the end of their 5-day isolation period. If they are unable to wear a mask when around others, they should continue to isolate for 10 days.
• If they continue to have fever or other symptoms have not improved after 5 days of isolation, they should wait to end isolation until they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever- reducing medication and their other symptoms have improved. They should continue to wear a well-fitting mask and contact their healthcare provider with questions.

If a person develops symptoms of COVID-19, the person must isolate. Current guidance requires a 5-day isolation period. That period may be shortened with a doctor note confirming that symptoms are the result of something other than COVID-19. Alternatively, if symptoms resolve and the person wants to return prior to the end of the 5-day isolation period, a negative PCR test is preferred. If using antigen testing, 2 negative tests spaced 24 hours apart are required. In either case, symptoms must be resolved for 24 hours before being able to return prior to the completion of the full 5 days.  

Classroom Instruction:

All fully vaccinated* and boosted students who have had close contact with a positive COVID-19 case may continue to attend school.

Sports and Extracurricular Activities:

Individuals 12 years and older who have received the booster can participate in extracurricular or after school activities without restrictions.

* Fully vaccinated is defined as two weeks after the receipt of either two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or one dose of Johnson and Johnson vaccine or full course of any other recognized vaccine.

Classroom Instruction:

All fully vaccinated* students who are not boosted (and are not eligible for booster) and who have had close contact with a positive COVID-19 case may continue to attend school without restriction.

All fully vaccinated* students who are not boosted (but are eligible for booster) and who have had close contact with a positive COVID-19 case may continue to attend school but are required to quarantine outside of school. 

Parents should notify the school if their child has a close contact outside of school and falls into this category.

Students who have a lab-confirmed positive test result in the past 90 days do not need to quarantine outside of school.  If the COVID positive result is NOT performed by a healthcare provider, the 90-day exclusion from quarantine does not apply.

Sports and Extracurricular Activities:

Individuals 12 years and older who are eligible for a booster but are not boosted, and have been exposed to an individual with COVID-19, can participate in extracurricular or after school activities so long as those activities do not include students from other schools. Outside the school day, these individuals must adhere to a 5-day quarantine at home.

Parents should notify the school if their child has a close contact outside of school and falls into this category.

Students who have a lab-confirmed positive test result in the past 90 days do not need to quarantine outside of school. If the COVID positive result is NOT performed by a healthcare provider, the 90-day exclusion from quarantine does not apply.

Fully vaccinated 5-11-year-old children are not eligible for a booster and have no further restrictions.

* Fully vaccinated is defined as two weeks after the receipt of either two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or one dose of Johnson and Johnson vaccine or full course of any other recognized vaccine.

Classroom Instruction: 

Students who are not vaccinated or have not yet completed a primary vaccine series and had close contact with a positive COVID-19 must quarantine for at least 5 days (Day 0 is the last day of close contact). These students may attend school through the Test To Stay program but are required to quarantine outside of school activities.

Parents should notify the school if their child has a close contact outside of school and falls into this category.

Students who have a lab-confirmed positive test result in the past 90 days do not need to quarantine. If the COVID positive result is NOT performed by a healthcare provider, the 90-day exclusion from quarantine does not apply.

Sports and Extracurricular Activities:

Students who are not vaccinated or have not yet completed a primary vaccine series and had close contact with a positive COVID-19 case can participate in sports and extracurricular activities, through the Test to Stay program, so long as those activities do not include students from other schools. They may not participate in activities that involve students from other schools.

Parents should notify the school if their child has a close contact outside of school and falls into this category.

Students who have a lab-confirmed positive test result in the past 90 days do not need to quarantine. If the COVID positive result is NOT performed by a healthcare provider, the 90-day exclusion from quarantine does not apply.

* Fully vaccinated is defined as two weeks after the receipt of either two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or one dose of Johnson and Johnson vaccine or full course of any other recognized vaccine.