Miami-Dade County Public Schools: M-DCPS Announces Revised Quarantine Protocols For Employees, High School Students

Press release from Miami-Dade County Public Schools:

Friday, September 17, 2021

Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) has
not wavered in its commitment to prioritize the health and wellbeing of its
students and employees, by continuously working with the Florida Department of
Health (FDOH), local health officials and experts in the development of
protocols. Data points
being monitored include the number of positive COVID-19 cases per 100,000
individuals in the local population, new hospital admissions due to COVID-19,
and the number of local intensive care unit (ICU) and non-ICU hospital beds
occupied by COVID-19 patients. The District’s Ad Hoc Health and Medical
Experts Task Force was consulted today regarding a targeted reduction in the
quarantine period for all employees and high school students. Based on the Task Force’s medical guidance,
beginning on Monday, September 20, 2021, COVID-19 quarantine protocols will be
updated as follows: Upon
direct contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19, unvaccinated high school students and
employees may return to the school/work site provided they meet both of these
criteria:

·
They are asymptomatic.

For unvaccinated students and employees who
do not provide a negative PCR test result on or after five days of exposure or
are not asymptomatic, it is recommended they continue to follow the quarantine
protocol of 10 days since exposure. Fully vaccinated students and employees will
not need to quarantine and may remain at their school/worksite providing they
meet ALL of the following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
criteria: o
Receiving a single dose of vaccine, or o
The second dose in a two-dose series. ·
They remain asymptomatic after the current COVID-19 exposure.
Additionally,
the District will be seeking input from the FDOH and the Task Force regarding
local COVID-19 conditions and relevant criteria that would enable adjustments
to the current facial-covering protocol. COVID-19 information is continuously evolving. M-DCPS will continue to
collaborate with the FDOH and local medical experts to ensure that parents and
our community remain well informed through news media, regular social media
posts, school-to-home communications, and our website at https://backtoschool.dadeschools.net/. For the most
up-to-date information, please download the Dadeschools mobile app to your
iPhone or Android device. Follow us on Twitter @mdcps and @miamisup, on Instagram
@miamischools and @miamisup, and on Facebook at MiamiSchools and AlbertoCarvalho.

This press release was produced by Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.