What California’s new quarantine, isolation guidance means for Stanislaus students
School districts in Stanislaus County are updating isolation policies for students who test positive for COVID-19, but quarantine protocols will remain the same.
The county’s three largest districts are in the process of transitioning to new guidance from the California Department of Public Health that may reduce isolation periods to as short as five days, spokespeople confirmed.
Turlock and Ceres Unified resumed instruction last week, and Modesto City Schools brought students back Monday.
The shift follows updates to quarantine and isolation guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and subsequent updates by California’s public health agency. The changes also come as Stanislaus County experiences a surge in coronavirus cases.
The county Health Services Agency is following California’s guidance, spokeswoman Kamlesh Kaur said Jan. 5.
The state’s direction for schools has changed throughout the week and in some cases differs from protocols for the general public, Stanislaus public health officials said.
For isolation — the period following a positive test for COVID-19 — schools are following general guidance from the California Department of Public Health, Kaur said.
The document says students who contract the virus should stay home for at least five days. If a student’s symptoms are gone or resolving and they obtain a negative test result on day five or later, they may return to school, according to the state guidance.
For quarantine — the period following an exposure to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 — students should still follow California’s K-12 guidance, Kaur confirmed by email Thursday afternoon.
That document was updated Nov. 24. It includes different scenarios based on factors such as mask-wearing, vaccination status and testing.
For example, vaccinated students who are asymptomatic may continue attending school and test on days five and seven of their quarantine. Unvaccinated students may continue attending school while testing twice weekly during the quarantine period if they are asymptomatic and they and the person who tested positive for Covid-19 were masked during the exposure.
This story was originally published January 7, 2022 at 7:53 AM.
