CHESAPEAKE, Va. — At least two school divisions in Hampton Roads have already changed their protocols for those who test positive or were exposed to COVID 19.
The superintendents of both Chesapeake and Newport News school divisions said they would adopt the new quarantine and isolation guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC lowered its recommended isolation by half from 10 days to five in the event someone tests positive, and follow that with five days of mask-wearing if the person is asymptomatic or symptoms are resolving (without fever for 24 hours).
The CDC also similarly shortened its recommended quarantine time from 10 days to five for unvaccinated people exposed to COVID-19. The CDC added that individuals who are fully vaccinated -- including a booster shot -- may not need to quarantine but should wear masks for ten days after the possible exposure.
A statement from Newport News Superintendent Dr. George Parker issued Sunday reads:
As a community, we all must do our part to avoid the spread of COVID-19 and protect our learning and work environments. All students and staff are required to wear properly-fitting face masks at school and work and on the school bus.
In Chesapeake, Jared Cotton highlighted these changes during a special school board meeting on New Year's Eve, in which all "close contacts" would need to quarantine from exposure if unvaccinated.
Close contact was defined as anyone within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.
At the same meeting, the division's previously voted-on optional mask mandate policy was reversed.
“Very quick to adopt when you’re stepping down mitigation strategies," said Becca Dorval, a Chesapeake mother with two children in the school system. "But when we’re stepping up mitigations, like masking, it seems they don't want to go that far.
The Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Hampton school divisions told 13News Now they are still reviewing the new guidelines but parents will soon get new information, and those changes could be made within the next few weeks.