Malden Schools' COVID Testing Will Include 'Test And Stay'

MALDEN, MA — School officials in Malden detailed the district's COVID-19 testing protocol in a message to families this week.

The program has three components – symptomatic testing for students who show coronavirus symptoms at school, routine safety checks to prevent spread among asymptomatic students and "test and stay" for close contacts who were exposed in school but are not showing symptoms, Superintendent Ligia Noriega-Murphy said.

The "test and stay" protocol, which has been implemented in several districts this year, tests students who are deemed close contacts daily and allows them to stay in school as long as they return a negative result.

The program will continue for at least five days after a potential exposure. If a student tests positive for COVID-19, they must quarantine at home for 10 days since symptoms appeared, or 10 days since the positive test before returning to school. The student must also be without a fever for 24 hours.

Malden will conduct rapid testing for students who are showing symptoms in school. If a student has minimal symptoms and tests negative, they can stay in school. Noriega-Murphy urged parents to keep their students home if they are feeling sick, as COVID symptoms can look identical to illnesses like the cold and flu.

Routine safety checks will also be implemented to catch the potential spread of the virus before it starts. Students will administer the tests themselves, and samples will be collected at school in groups of 5-10 people on a weekly basis.

Students will only participate in the testing program with permission from a parent or guardian.

To learn more about the COVID-19 testing program, visit https://www.cic-health.com/consent/ma. Questions may be directed to Patti Tramondozzi, director of nursing, at ptramondozzi@maldenps.org or 781-397-6106.