Revised Updates: Isolation/Quarantine/Sick policy
In alignment with the CDC, the Fairfax County Health Department is updating its recommendations. These updates include the following:
If You Test Positive for COVID-19 (Isolate) Day 1 starts the next day after you test positive
Everyone, regardless of vaccination status:
- Day 1 to 5:
- Stay home and away from others.
- Day 6 to 10:
-
If you have no symptoms or your symptoms are resolving, you can leave your house. Continue to wear a well-fitting mask to reduce any risk of infecting others.
- If you have a fever, continue to stay home until 24 hours after your fever resolves.
If You Were Exposed to Someone with COVID-19 (Quarantine)
If you have been boosted OR received your second dose (and an additional dose if immunocompromised) of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine within the last 6 months OR received your first dose of J&J vaccine within the last two months:
- Day 1 to 10
- Wear a mask around others.
- Test on day 5, if possible.
- If you develop symptoms get a test and stay home.
- If you test positive for COVID-19 during this 10-day period, follow the isolation guidance above
If you received two doses of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines more than six months ago and are not boosted OR received one dose of the J&J vaccine more than two months ago and are not boosted OR are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated:
- Day 1 to 5:
- Stay home and away from others.
- Test on day 5 if possible. If you test positive for COVID-19, follow the isolation guidance above.
- Day 6 to 10:
- Continue to wear a mask around others.
- If you develop symptoms get a test and stay home. If you test positive for COVID-19, follow the isolation guidance above.
Please take note of the adjusted SJS sick policy:
With the emergence of more contagious variants, such as Omicron, and the ongoing surge of COVID-19 cases, it is important that everyone works together to help us minimize spread and illness in school as well as stay healthy so that we can continue with in-person learning.
The first option below will help your child return to school sooner. These apply to symptoms that are unusual for your child. They do not apply to symptoms that are because of a documented chronic illness. If your child has a sibling in the school, we ask that you keep everyone home until the sick child has a diagnosis for their symptoms OR has been medically cleared. Household contact is considered continuous transmission; this is an extra layer in place to help prevent the spread of illness to other students while waiting for a diagnosis for your sick child. We are permitted to accept both rapid antigen tests and the PCR covid test. Please keep your child home while you await their test results.
After 24 hours of illness, if your child is still sick, has a fever 100.4 or greater, has vomited and not improving without taking any over the counter medication:
-
Have them evaluated by a healthcare professional with a diagnosis/clearance note prior to returning to school. Click HERE for a copy of the clearance note* You can also find this clearance note on the nurses’ page.
- If you choose not to take your child to see a healthcare professional, you may test them with:
A home covid test kit (please send a picture of the test result labelled with your child’s name and date of test). If your child tests negative but still has symptoms, keep them home and retest in 48 hours with a negative test prior to returning to school.
OR
Get your child tested at a testing site with a signed/stamped copy of test result
If you choose to do neither and your child is still symptomatic, please keep your child home until they are no longer symptomatic, is fever free, energy is back, vomit free for 24 hours without taking any over the counter medication to mask their symptoms/illness.
