The quarantine period for unvaccinated students who are exposed to COVID-19 has been extended to 14 days from 10 days, after the Johnson County Health Department changed its guidance to schools as more students and teachers head back to classrooms this week.
Before Tuesday, schools had the option to have students who were within three feet of a person with COVID-19 go back to school after 10 days of quarantine, provided they weren’t exhibiting symptoms of the virus.
Students who returned after 10 days would have to wear a mask in school at all times, eat lunch at least six feet away from other students and maintain a distance of at least three feet in the classroom until the 14th day after the possible exposure, according to county health department documents.
With the rise of the Delta variant of COVID-19 and the complexity of a return to the classroom before 14 days of exposure, Johnson County Health Office Jefferson Qualls advised schools to keep quarantine procedures at 14 days, as was the case during the 2020-21 school year. If a student or staff member is fully vaccinated, they do not have to quarantine, according to health department documents.
More than 55% of the county’s eligible population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but the Delta variant, which can be spread by vaccinated people, has resulted in an increase in cases. A month ago, the county’s rolling daily average of positive cases was about three a day. On Wednesday, that average was 32, almost a 1,000% increase, according to data from the Indiana Department of Health.
Masks, for now, remain optional at all Johnson County schools, though that could change if health officials see substantial COVID-19 spread within school buildings, Qualls said Wednesday.
Students and staff members who want to avoid quarantine can provide proof of vaccination, said Terry Terhune, Greenwood schools superintendent.
“We’re supportive of the decision from the county health department. They’re in a pretty tough spot, and we’re glad to work with them and follow their lead or guidance and directives they give us to follow,” Terhune said.
The new guidelines will make things less complicated for local schools, Qualls said.
“We wanted to be less burdensome on school districts. The enhanced precautions are more of a burden than 14 days of quarantine,” he said.
The change in guidance doesn’t change much for Franklin schools, said David Clendening, superintendent.
“We were going to do it anyway,” Clendening said of the 14-day quarantine procedure. “This probably helps in the (school) buildings and reflects what we’re seeing in the community.”
