COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Ohio Department of Health has issued new contact tracing recommendations, including allowing schools to stop universal contact tracing.
In a letter Wednesday to schools and local health departments in Ohio, ODH Director Bruce Vanderhoff said schools should assist local health departments with contact tracing related to COVID-19 outbreaks. 19 in schools.
The letter says schools must continue to follow the Mask to Stay, Test to Play protocol, which means that any student who has been in contact with someone who has contracted the virus wears a mask for 10 days and monitors for symptoms, among other recommendations.
From Friday February 4, schools will be required to report any positive cases of pupils and staff to their local health departments on a weekly basis – before the close of business on Friday.
In addition to schools, the ODH recommends that local health departments shift to “cluster or outbreak-based” research, shifting the focus from contact tracing to high-risk settings, which the ODH defines as collective residential environments (shelters, correctional facilities, nursing homes, etc.) or for outbreaks or clusters in relation to a possible new variant.
A Columbus City Schools spokesperson said the district will continue to follow its current COVID-19 contact tracing and notification process.
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