RICHMOND, Va. – Guidelines for quarantine following COVID-19 exposure have been updated for children in Virginia.
On Thursday, the Office of Governor Glenn Youngkin announced updated quarantine guidelines that said quarantine is no longer routinely recommended after exposure to COVID-19 infected individuals in child care, K-12 schools, and camp settings.
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Youngkin said since vaccines, tests and treatments are readily available, hospitalization rates are low, and the number of people in Virginia with increased natural immunity, he thinks it’s time to re-evaluate the guidelines.
“From the first days of my administration, I have supported parents in making informed decisions for their own families, whom they love and know best,” said Youngkin. “As Virginians continue to return to the office and social settings, the pandemic is disrupting workplaces and family life when entire child care facilities, camps, and classrooms shutter in response to as few as two cases. Today marks a shift in my administration’s recommendations to optional quarantine for exposure to COVID-19 in child care and school settings as the severity of the disease decreases.”
The new guidelines are as follows, according to the full document:
- Symptomatic persons should isolate and be tested.
- People who test positive should isolate for at least five days, and after their fever is gone, they may return to their programs. If they can wear a mask, they should for at least ten days. If they are unwilling to wear a mask, VDH recommends having a negative test after a five-day isolation period or isolation for ten days. Schools are to provide rapid tests for symptomatic students.
- People that have been exposed, but have no symptoms are no longer being recommended to quarantine. They are allowed to attend their programs for as long as they do not have symptoms.
If you want to view the full guidelines, you can read them here.