NJ Loosens COVID-19 Rules And Guidance For Schools

NEW JERSEY – Without making an announcement, New Jersey has modified its COVID-19 restrictions, allowing more freedom for parents, teachers and students as the state's educational system continues to endure the pandemic.

The state Department of Health issued modified rules and guidelines this week that would ultimately make it easier for schools to stay open, even as new daily reports of cases continue to remain at a high level.

New Jersey reported one of its highest new daily case totals ever on Saturday – 6,115 – and Gov. Phil Murphy said the state's second wave of the pandemic will continue to "peak" for the rest of the month.

The change also comes as he and other governors have complained that the federal government's rollout of the vaccine has been too slow. Read more: New NJ COVID Vaccine Phone Number As State 'Peaks' In Second Wave

Teachers and parents, however, have expressed concerns that the state's rules are too restrictive given that very few of the state's outbreaks have originated in schools.

Some school officials have also cited drug problems and mental health issues as potential concerns since students have been largely forced to attend school remotely amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more: NJ Towns With Most Heroin Abuse Cases: New Data Released For 2021

One of the changes involves how the schools react to the state's coronavirus risk levels, which are divided into different categories: red, or "very high;" orange, or "high;" yellow, or "moderate;" and green, or "low."

Schools were originally advised to shut down if students or teachers showed symptoms of COVID-19 – even if they didn't have a positive test. Now they only need to consider closing classrooms – or the entire school – if two or more teachers or students test positive.

Also, schools that hit the "red" zone are no longer strongly urged or even required to shut down. Now the rules and guidelines say schools should:

• Consider shutting down, but also work with local health department to identify and exclude close contacts following state Department of Health guidance.
• In response to ill students and staff with COVID-19 compatible symptoms, follow COVID-19 exclusion criteria; wait at least 24 hours and clean/disinfect areas where the ill person spent time.
• Recommend restricting activities that involve interaction with multiple cohorts (such as clubs, assemblies, sports).

The color designations reflect what's on the DOH's weekly "COVID-19 Activity Level Report." The “red zone” typically means the daily new COVID-19 virus case rate exceeds 25 cases per 100,000 people over a seven-day average.

"When it is high risk, there are some recommendations that we make together with local school boards," said Edward Lifshitz, medical director for the state Department of Health.

Here is a chart for closure scenarios:

Here are other rules and guidelines that are now included:

When assessing the risk of the spread of COVID-19 in extracurricular activities (such as sports, clubs, choir), schools should consider:

• Physical proximity of students/staff and length of time students/staff are close to each other.
• Amount of necessary touching of shared equipment.
• Ability to engage in social distancing during activity.
• Age of the students and ability to consistently follow prevention recommendations.
• Participants (students/staff) who are at high risk of severe complications from COVID-19.
• Ability to enforce and ensure compliance with prevention strategies.

When the COVID-19 risk level of community transmission is "high" (orange), schools should:

• Carefully consider which activities they determine can continue, based on the individual activity’s risks, strategies to reduce those risks, and the ability to ensure compliance with COVID-19 prevention recommendations.

Maintaining cohorts or groups of students with dedicated staff who remain together throughout the day, including at recess and lunchtimes, limits the amount of contact between individuals.

Reducing the mixing of students, teachers and staff through groups:

• decreases the opportunities for exposure or transmission of COVID-19 at school.
• makes contact tracing easier in the event of a positive case.
• simplifies recommendations for testing, quarantine, and isolation to a single cohort.

Examples of activities that might be minimized or restricted (depending on the current risk of community transmission) include:

• Field trips, extracurricular activities, assemblies, and other gatherings.

Limit activities to those that can maintain social distancing, the use of masks, and support proper hand hygiene.

Pursue virtual activities and events in lieu of field trips, student assemblies, special performances, school-wide parent meetings, and spirit nights, if possible.

When a school is pursuing fully remote learning due to elevated community transmission of COVID-19 or due to a current outbreak, NJDOH recommends postponing extracurricular activities.

Also:

• If a school has an active outbreak of COVID-19 but remains open, in consultation with the local health department and based on the public health investigation, some or all extracurricular activities may need to be postponed until the outbreak is concluded.
• Schools should develop individualized plans for the implementation of school sports which adhere to NJDOH recommendations on minimizing cohort mixing based on the current risk of community spread.
• Additionally, schools should use current community transmission risk and a determination of the school’s ability to conform to NJDOH guidance on sports activities to help determine whether sports that carry a higher frequency of close interaction based on risk levels described in "NJDOH Guidance on Sports Activities" should continue.
• If indoor sports take place, proper use of a face mask for all indoor sports training and competition is strongly recommended.
• Restrictions regarding indoor youth sports practices and competitions including interstate games and tournaments are delineated in Executive Orders Nos. 194 and 204 and Administrative Order 2020-25.
• When a school is pursuing fully remote learning due to elevated community transmission of COVID-19 or due to a current outbreak, NJDOH recommends postponing school sport practices and competitions.
• If a school has an active outbreak of COVID-19 but remains open, in consultation with the local health department and based on the public health investigation, some or all school sport practices and competitions may need to be postponed until the outbreak is concluded.

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