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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (Press release edited / KY3) – The Springfield-Greene County Health Department is amending its COVID-19 quarantine guidelines for schools and universities.
Health leaders say a growing body of evidence suggests the low risk of transmitting COVID-19 to children has led to the change. This now means that under certain circumstances, children can continue to attend school during their quarantine period, despite having been identified as close contact with someone with COVID-19.
School districts that adopt these guidelines can implement the new policies immediately. Schools can adopt more stringent guidelines, if they wish. However, health officials say a strict modified quarantine will only be allowed among children in schools where masking is universal. Teachers and other adult staff will not be eligible for the modified quarantine. In addition, this will extend exclusively to the classroom only, and not to outdoor activities or other circumstances.
Since the start of the school year, 8% of all positive COVID-19 cases in Greene County have been in students aged 5 to 17. The Springfield-Greene County Department of Health is partnering with area schools, the Missouri Department of Health and Seniors Services, the University of Washington, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to review the impact of mitigation measures such as masking and physical distance on school transmission of COVID-19. In addition, the Ministry will work closely with schools in the region to assess individual situations and adjust the approach as needed.
There are several conditions that must be met for students to benefit from a modified quarantine.
• The modified quarantine will only apply to children in a school setting where the infected person and close contact were masked at the time of contact. If at any time a child were within 6 feet of an infectious person for more than 15 minutes while either person was unmasked, they would not be eligible for a modified quarantine.
• Schools must adopt and enforce a universal mask ordinance for anyone 2 years of age and older without medical exemption.
Prolonged direct physical contact with an infectious person requires standard quarantine.
• Schools must have significant mitigation strategies in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
• A procedure for screening for COVID-19 and immediate isolation of anyone showing symptoms should be in place.
• Students in classes with more than one positive case related to the class spread are not eligible for modified quarantine.
During the modified quarantine period, the child can only leave home to go to school. They cannot participate in extracurricular activities or expose other people. During the school day, children are not allowed to participate in any activity in which a mask cannot be worn, and they must be seated at least 6 feet from other students during lunch.
Detailed guidelines for Greene County schools are available at health.springfieldmo.gov/modifiedquarantine. It is based on procedures outlined by the Missouri Department of Health and Seniors Services and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. This updated guide is available here: https: //dese.mo.gov /…/ COVID-19-Quarantine-Guidance …
Full press release: https://www.springfieldmo.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=7531
Copyright 2020 KY3. All rights reserved.
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