Quarantine/Contact Tracing

Students and staff should stay home if they have: 

• Tested positive (viral test) for COVID-19
• COVID-19 compatible symptoms
• Potential exposure to COVID-19 from: Close contact with a person with COVID-19
• Engaged in international travel in the past 10 days (unless fully vaccinated)

Isolation

• Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 and are symptomatic or individuals with COVID-19 symptoms who weren't tested or who are waiting for test results:
  • Stay home and isolate from other people for at least 5 days (day 0 is the first day of symptoms).
    • If symptoms resolve (fever-free for 24 hours and other symptoms improve), isolation can end after 5 full days (return on day 6).
      • Continue to wear a well-fitted mask while around others through day 10.
    • If symptoms persist (fever or if other symptoms have not improved), continue to isolate until fever-free for 24 hours and other symptoms have improved.
• Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 but have no symptoms:
  • Stay home and isolate from other people for at least 5 days (day 0 is the day of the positive viral test).
    • If no symptoms develop, isolation can end after 5 full days (return on day 6).
    • If symptoms develop within one week of the positive test, the 5-day isolation period starts over with day 0 being the first day of symptoms. Follow recommendations for ending isolation for individuals who have COVID-19 symptoms.

Quarantine

• Unvaccinated individuals who are identified as a close contact are required to quarantine for at least 5 days after the last close contact with a person who has COVID-19.  The date of the exposure is considered day 0.

• If asymptomatic, quarantine can end after day 5 (return on day 6).

  • Continue to wear a well-fitted mask while around others through day 10.

• While testing is recommended, a negative test is not required to return on day 6.  Please read the NJDOH document for further details.

• Individuals who had confirmed COVID-19 (positive viral test) within the last 90 days do not need to quarantine.

Siblings of a student who has symptoms and meets COVID-19 Exclusion Criteria should be excluded from school until the symptomatic individual receives a negative test result. 

• If the symptomatic individual tests positive, the sibling will need to self-quarantine.

Please contact the school nurse to find out a return to school date.

• A Close Contact is defines as someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person (laboratory-confirmed or a clinically compatible illness) for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period

  • Exception: In the K–12 indoor classroom setting, the close contact definition excludes students who were within 3 to 6 feet of an infected student (laboratory-confirmed or a clinically compatible illness) where both the infected student and the exposed student(s) correctly and consistently wore well-fitting masks the entire time.  This exception does not apply to teachers, staff, or other adults in the indoor classroom setting.

• School nurses collaborate with staff members and/or coaches to identify potential close contacts to a COVID-19 case.

• Unvaccinated close contacts must quarantine for at least 5 days after exposure. The day of exposure is day 0.

  • Individuals who had confirmed COVID-19 (positive viral test) within the last 90 days do not have to quarantine.

• For determining the timing of close contact to a COVID-19 case:

  • Individuals would only be considered exposed if they had close contact during the case’s isolation period (day 1-5).

  • Individuals would NOT be considered exposed during the case’s additional precaution period at day 6-10.

• Students and staff members returning to New Jersey after domestic travel will not be asked to quarantine, regardless of vaccination status.

• Vaccinated students and staff members returning to New Jersey after international travel will not be asked to quarantine.

  • The CDC recommends getting tested 3-5 days after travel. 

• Unvaccinated students and staff members returning to New Jersey after international travel will be asked to quarantine.

  • The CDC recommends getting tested 3-5 days after travel.

  • Stay home and self-quarantine for a full 5 days (return on day 6).

  • Remote learning will be available for unvaccinated students returning from international travel.

  • Remote learning will not be available during travel, only during the quarantine period.

• Parents/Guardians are expected to report travel plans in advance to the school principal, secretary, and nurse.