Berkeley County School District: Exposure And Quarantine Guidelines

Press release from Berkeley County School District:

August 23, 2021

What is exposure?

Per guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), exposure occurs if a person has been in close contact (within six feet) for greater than or equal to 15 minutes with a person with COVID-19 over a 24-hour period.

What happens when a student is exposed to COVID-19?

Once it is confirmed a student has been exposed to COVID-19, the following steps should take place.

If the close contact has been fully vaccinated and is asymptomatic:

A close contact does not have to quarantine, however it is recommended he/she:

1. Wear a mask for ten days from the date of exposure.
2. Socially distance to the greatest extent possible (for the same period of time).
3. If he/she remains asymptomatic, he/she is not required to have a negative Covid test to return to work, however it is recommended he/she gets one 7 days from the date of exposure to be safe.
4. If he/she becomes symptomatic, he/she needs to notify the supervisor or school administrator immediately and he/she is required to quarantine for 10 days from the date symptoms begin.
5. It is recommended that the close contact take a COVID test 7 days after the exposure regardless of vaccination status.

If he/she has been fully vaccinated, but is symptomatic:

1. He/she is required to quarantine for 10 days.
2. It is recommended that the close contact take a COVID test 7 days after the exposure regardless of vaccination status.
3. Current guidelines allow the 14 day quarantine to be shortened to 10 days. The employee/student may return to work/school on the 11th day with the signed staff or parent letter agreeing to daily temperature checks and required mask wearing from day 11 to day 14.

If he/she has NOT been fully vaccinated:

1. He/she is required to quarantine beginning 10 days from the date of exposure.
2. It is recommended that the close contact take a COVID test 7 days after the exposure regardless of vaccination status.
3. Current guidelines allow the 14 day quarantine to be shortened to 10 days. The employee/student may return to work/school on the 11th day with the signed staff or parent letter agreeing to daily temperature checks and required mask wearing from day 11 to day 14.

Anyone considered a close contact will be asked the following questions:

1. Have you been fully vaccinated? (Either the J&J, or both shots of Moderna or Pfizer) The staff member and/or the student does not have to respond to this question.
2. If yes, please provide verification of the completed vaccination card.
3. Do you currently have any Covid symptoms?

Contact tracing in combination with isolation and quarantine

• BCSD will follow the SC DHEC requirements when reporting positive cases and contact tracing.
• Students exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms will wait in a protective isolation area until picked up by a parent/guardian (within the hour). While in the isolation area the student will be asked to wear a mask covering nose and mouth per the SC DHEC guidelines.
• BCSD will follow the most up to date quarantine and isolation guidelines as recommended by SC DHEC.
• The principal and/or the school nurse will report all positive cases to the BCSD COVID-19 Dashboard/Database. The Nursing Services Coordinator will compile information from the COVID-19 Dashboard/Database and will forward to SC DHEC.
• Students and staff will not be required to quarantine if they provide verification of vaccination.

Please be aware of the following COVID-19 symptoms

The CDC reports people with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms -- ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. Please watch for the following.

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

CDC CORONAVIRUS SELF-CHECKER

Please understand that this tool was not created and is not managed by Berkeley County School District. It has been placed on this page as a resource that is also available and offered as a shared tool on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.

This press release was produced by Berkeley County School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.