Quarantine Procedures at Howard
Grace Rumsey '24 Staff Writer
Recently, there has been a peak in Covid-19 cases at Howard, and attendance has been at an all time low with the amount of people having to quarantine.
Ms. Stark, the cluster nurse at Howard, does contact tracing with the school Health Assistant, Mrs. Phebus. Ms. Stark says, “When we find out that a student is positive we ask certain questions about who their closest friends are and who they sit next to in class. Do they ride the bus? Do they have siblings?” Then, teachers and parents are asked for the list of students that are closest to the student with COVID. The school is not doing contact tracing with the current surge of COVID because the Health Department has temporarily taken over, but the school will continue contact tracing when the surge is over. Ms. Stark says, “Soon the plan is to be able to have a computer system generate all the names of close contacts after we input the positive student or staff member’s name and send it to the Health Department to follow up on.”
With COVID, there are always extra precautions students can take at school and outside of school to ensure their safety. On Monday January 10, 2022 each student was given two N-95 masks. Ms. Stark says, “We urge you to wear a well-fitting mask, preferably an N-95, to school every day. Your mask must cover your nose and mouth at all times.” Ms. Stark also mentions that the only time to remove the mask is in the cafeteria or another area of the building, where you are actively eating lunch or drinking, and the mask must go back on when the lunch period is over.
With this current COVID variant, many students are out of school in quarantine or isolation. Ms. Stark explains the difference between quarantining and isolating: “Isolation separates sick people with a contagious disease from people who are not sick. Quarantine separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed, to see if they become sick.” If someone tests positive for COVID they should isolate for five days, and if they are asymptomatic following that time isolation may be discontinued, but that person should continue to wear a well fitting mask for five additional days. Ms. Stark says, “For those boosted, no quarantine is needed but a mask must be worn for 10 days following exposure. If symptoms occur, quarantine and take a test to confirm COVID.” If someone has COVID who is not vaccinated or boosted, they are required to quarantine for five days, and include strict mask wearing for an additional five days. If symptoms start to show, it is important to get tested as soon as possible. Even with no symptoms, it is important to wear a mask in school and outside of school while in a public area.
Ms. Stark, the cluster nurse at Howard, does contact tracing with the school Health Assistant, Mrs. Phebus. Ms. Stark says, “When we find out that a student is positive we ask certain questions about who their closest friends are and who they sit next to in class. Do they ride the bus? Do they have siblings?” Then, teachers and parents are asked for the list of students that are closest to the student with COVID. The school is not doing contact tracing with the current surge of COVID because the Health Department has temporarily taken over, but the school will continue contact tracing when the surge is over. Ms. Stark says, “Soon the plan is to be able to have a computer system generate all the names of close contacts after we input the positive student or staff member’s name and send it to the Health Department to follow up on.”
With COVID, there are always extra precautions students can take at school and outside of school to ensure their safety. On Monday January 10, 2022 each student was given two N-95 masks. Ms. Stark says, “We urge you to wear a well-fitting mask, preferably an N-95, to school every day. Your mask must cover your nose and mouth at all times.” Ms. Stark also mentions that the only time to remove the mask is in the cafeteria or another area of the building, where you are actively eating lunch or drinking, and the mask must go back on when the lunch period is over.
With this current COVID variant, many students are out of school in quarantine or isolation. Ms. Stark explains the difference between quarantining and isolating: “Isolation separates sick people with a contagious disease from people who are not sick. Quarantine separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed, to see if they become sick.” If someone tests positive for COVID they should isolate for five days, and if they are asymptomatic following that time isolation may be discontinued, but that person should continue to wear a well fitting mask for five additional days. Ms. Stark says, “For those boosted, no quarantine is needed but a mask must be worn for 10 days following exposure. If symptoms occur, quarantine and take a test to confirm COVID.” If someone has COVID who is not vaccinated or boosted, they are required to quarantine for five days, and include strict mask wearing for an additional five days. If symptoms start to show, it is important to get tested as soon as possible. Even with no symptoms, it is important to wear a mask in school and outside of school while in a public area.