Bartow County Schools Updates COVID Protocols

CARTERSVILLE, GA — During the holiday break, the Department of Public Health issued a new administrative order for public health control measures.

This updated administrative order contains new isolation and quarantine protocols that align with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance issued Dec. 27, 2021.

As a result of this new information, the Bartow County School System has updated its COVID-19 isolation and quarantine protocols to match many of the recommendations below.

Isolation

Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 (regardless of vaccination status) must:

• Isolate at home for 5 days from the date symptoms first appeared or, if asymptomatic, the date of the positive test. Stay away from others in the household as much as possible during isolation.
• After 5 days, if you have no symptoms or your symptoms are resolving and you have not had fever for more than 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication, you may end isolation. If symptoms are not improving or fever has not resolved, you should continue isolating until these criteria are met.
• After ending isolation, you should continue to wear a mask around others for 5 days.

Quarantine

If you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 and you are:

Boosted, or have become fully vaccinated within the last 6 months (Moderna or Pfizer vaccine) or within the last 2 months (J&J vaccine):

• You do not need to quarantine at home.
• You should wear a mask around others for 10 days.
• If possible, get tested on day 5.
• If you develop symptoms, get tested and isolate at home until test results are received, then proceed in accordance with the test results.

Unvaccinated, or became fully vaccinated more than 6 months ago (Moderna or Pfizer vaccine) or more than 2 months ago (J&J vaccine) and have not received a booster:

• You must quarantine at home for 5 days. After that, continue to wear a mask around others for 5 additional days.
• If possible, get tested on day 5.
• If you develop symptoms, get tested and isolate at home until test results are received, then proceed in accordance with the test results.

In summary, the new protocols shorten the quarantine window from 10 days to five days for those individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 or have been exposed to a positive COVID-19 case at home.

Bartow Schools will continue to follow the quarantine guidelines from last semester for exposure at school or outside of the home or school.

For questions or concerns, contact school administrators or Central Office staff.