New Quarantine Guidance For COVID-19 In Ohio Schools

COLUMBUS, OH — New rules and protocols for handling COVID-19 exposure in schools were released this week by the Ohio Department of Health.

Quarantining after being exposed to COVID-19 in a school will not be necessary if a student or staffer was wearing a mask, if physical distancing was being practiced, and if documented prevention strategies were in place.

Fully vaccinated students and staffers also do not have to quarantine, provided they were a mask indoors after being exposed, or until a viral PCR or antigen test comes back negative.

“In-person learning is very important for the cognitive, social, and emotional development of our children,” said Ohio Department of Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff. “Developing guidelines that will allow well-protected students to be able to remain in the classroom as much as possible – even if there has been an exposure to COVID-19 – help facilitate that important in-person learning this year.”

The guidance for quarantining comes weeks before classes are set to resume at schools around Ohio. Vanderhoff and other health officials urged all eligible Ohioans to get a COVID-19 vaccine prior to school resuming.

“While children are less likely than adults to get severely ill from COVID-19, they are not invincible and most certainly can, and do, become ill,” Vanderhoff stated. “Just like adults, when children become sick from COVID-19, they spread it to others, and can suffer severe health outcomes, or even death. Young children who aren’t yet eligible for vaccines, and those who haven’t yet chosen to be vaccinated, should wear masks indoors, including in schools. For those ages 12 and up, vaccines remain our best protection against COVID-19.”