Recently, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and the Warren County Combined Health District (WCCHD) have approved the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) updated options to reduce the quarantine time period for persons exposed to COVID-19. The CDC, ODH, and the WCCHD all still currently recommend a quarantine period of fourteen (14) days. However, the updated option is to quarantine for ten (10) days from last known contact, or seven (7) days if the individual has a negative PCR (molecular) test result. This is based on local circumstances and available resources. In both of these updated options, the individual would have to be symptom-free, before returning from quarantine.
Based off the approval from ODH and the WCCHD, Springboro Schools will be implementing these updated options for quarantine effective Tuesday, December 8, 2020. Any individual who receives a notification of exposure letter from Springboro Schools from this point forward, will see these updated options reflected. Any individual who was issued a notification of exposure letter prior to Tuesday, Dec. 8, will follow the quarantine instructions stated in that particular letter.
CDC, ODH, WCCHD, and Springboro Schools still recommend a quarantine period of 14 days, as this is the optimal duration to minimize risk of disease transmission. However, based on an individual’s situation, the following options to shorten quarantine are acceptable:
• Reduced Duration 1: Stay at home for at least ten (10) days after last exposure
• Reduced Duration 2: Negative PCR (molecular) test result for COVID-19 from a sample collected on day five (5) or later after last exposure AND stay at home for at least seven (7) days after last exposure.
In both cases, additional criteria (e.g., continued symptom monitoring and masking through day 14) must be met.
Please know that as a district we are doing our best to keep our students, teachers, and staff healthy and safe. As we continue to adjust and change our protocols accordingly, we will keep you informed regarding the latest updates.