Submitted by Lewis County Public Health & Social Services
The Lewis County Schools Workgroup is encouraging schools to continue following 14-day quarantine guidelines, until at least January 4, 2021. This is the safest option recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC continues to recommend that an exposed person quarantine period for 14 days after their last contact with a person who has COVID-19. Current recommendations can be found at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/scientific-brief-options-to-reduce-quarantine.html
The Lewis County Schools Workgroup consists of school superintendents, educators, pediatricians, Lewis County Public Health & Social Services, and other medical professionals. Through this workgroup’s efforts, Lewis County became one of the first counties in Washington to offer “in-person” learning options in most school districts.
This CDC quarantine recommendation allows schools to continue offering an in-person learning option if they choose while limiting the risk of COVID-19 infections spreading. The quarantine period helps guard against asymptomatic students and staff returning to school too soon after exposure to someone testing positive for the COVID-19 virus.
Quarantine is used to keep someone who might have been exposed to COVID-19 away from others until their disease status is known. This helps prevent spreading the disease before a person knows they are infected or are infected but have no symptoms. People in quarantine should stay home, separate themselves from others, and monitor their health.
The CDC continuously reviews and evaluates new information and updates recommendations as needed. The Lewis County Schools Workgroup will re-evaluate the 14-day quarantine period when schools resume for instruction after the holidays.
For current information on COVID-19 in Lewis County, follow @LCPHSS on Twitter, https://www.facebook.com/lcphss/ and visit https://phsscovid19.lewiscountywa.gov/.
