Sahuarita Unified School District issued the following announcement on Dec. 31.
I hope that your holiday has been as restful, peaceful, and enjoyable as it can possibly be. As we prepare for the launch of our second semester, I would like to convey some updated information that has transpired since we left for the holiday season.
First, the Pima County Board of Supervisors has adopted a Resolution pertaining to the required use of masks indoors.
Second, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued updated guidance regarding the management of cases, close contacts, isolation and quarantine. Our first priority must be to continue building a cohesive, consistent, and unified community approach to this effort. Let us focus on finding common ground and the shared goal of keeping our schools operating as normally and safely as possible. The County Resolution about mask use indoors does specifically include schools in its wording. However, it also states that the County will focus on communication and education, and not on enforcement. We will continue striving to be consistent and aligned with the direction of our referent public health and governing authorities.
We will communicate, teach, and operate with those norms. We will strongly recommend that everyone comply with this County requirement of wearing a face covering indoors.
However, in alignment with the communicated County norms, we will not focus on enforcing punitive measures or sending people home for not wearing a face covering indoors. Of course, this could change over time if different Orders are issued, or if our own local conditions suggest a need for change. The new CDC guidance for a confirmed positive COVID-19 case is that, regardless of vaccination status, the person will need to isolate at home for five (5) days, instead of the previous ten (10), assuming that the positive individual is asymptomatic or symptoms have resolved at that point. The individual will be required to wear a face covering for the subsequent five (5) days as a condition of departure from isolation.
Of course, if symptomatic, then the individual will need to stay home until fever, vomiting, diarrhea free for 24 hours without the use of medication and all other symptoms have improved. Similarly, if an individual is identified as a close contact and has completed the primary series of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine over six (6) months ago and is not boosted, OR completed the primary series of J&J over two (2) months ago and is not boosted, OR is unvaccinated, the close contact will be required to quarantine for five (5) days, test on day five (5) if possible, and wear a face covering around others for five (5) days following quarantine. If an individual is identified as a close contact and has been boosted, OR completed the primary series of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine within the last six (6) months OR completed the primary series of J&J vaccine within the last two (2) months, the close contact will not have to quarantine, but will be required to wear a face covering around others for ten (10) days, and test on day five (5), if possible. If symptoms develop, close contacts will need to stay home. The Path Forward plan is currently being revised to reflect these changes.
Original source can be found here.
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