CRANFORD, NJ – In light of COVID-19 cases trending in a positive direction across the district and region, Superintendent Scott Rubin has announced a series of updates regarding COVID policies in schools.
In an email to the community on Friday, Rubin said large-scale contact tracing and quarantines for close contacts will end immediately at Cranford schools. Rubin said there was only one positive case of COVID-19 in the entire district this week.
Based on the new CALI report from the NJ Department of Health on Thursday, Rubin said that while Cranford is still in the yellow or “moderate transmission” category, the area is now only 0.39% away. be green, the lowest level of transmission in the category.
According to the CDC, the COVID-19 community level for Union County is already green, its lowest level.
In addition to this positive data, the CDC released new guidance stating that “universal case investigation and contact tracing is no longer recommended.” The CDC said this decision was informed, in part, by the high infection level of vaccine-induced immunity, the availability of safe vaccines, the increased use of self-tests, the emergence of variants with shorter incubation periods and a significant number of asymptomatic or mild cases of COVID-19[FEMININE[FEMININE
Rubin said families should continue to monitor their children for symptoms and keep them home if they are sick. Parents/guardians should have their children tested if symptoms appear.
Symptomatic students should not be sent to school. The Symptom Awareness Form outlines details regarding symptoms related to COVID.
For people with chronic conditions or medically documented allergies, Rubin said only new symptoms or symptoms worse than baseline should be considered for exclusion criteria.
The district has also modified its COVID-19 dashboard to include the grade level of children who have tested positive so parents/guardians can monitor and take appropriate precautions.
Families are encouraged to continue to report positive cases to the district. After COVID isolation, students can return to school on Day 6 if they are asymptomatic or if symptoms improve. Masks will be required to be worn at school on days 6-10 for those returning after testing positive.
“I realize that there are individuals who would have liked the district to move more quickly toward normalcy, while others may feel that we are moving too quickly,” Rubin wrote. “Know that we will continue to follow guidance from NJDOE/NJDOH and local health departments as we continue to keep our community safe, adapt to ever-changing circumstances, and return safely.”
Do you have a topical tip? Email remy.samuels@patch.com.
Receive a free morning newsletter with news in Cranford or another city: https://patch.com/subscribe
Comments are closed.