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As children prepare to return to school for the 2022-23 academic year, they will encounter new friends, teachers, and a more structured family routine. However, this season also brings renewed concerns regarding COVID-19 and the ongoing vigilance required to monitor our children’s health. Parents have been tasked with not only watching over their own health but also staying updated on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding COVID-19 exposures and infections. Recently, the CDC issued significant updates that are set to influence both the school experience for children and the decisions parents make.
The newly revised guidelines reflect a shift in the approach to managing COVID-19, allowing local authorities and individuals more discretion in decision-making. Greta Massetti, a senior epidemiologist at the CDC, emphasized that these changes are based on the improved immunity levels across the country. “We have a better understanding of how to protect individuals from the virus,” Massetti stated in an official announcement. “This guidance recognizes that while the pandemic is ongoing, it enables us to transition towards a situation where COVID-19 does not drastically interfere with our daily lives.”
Under the updated guidelines, the CDC is no longer recommending that students or staff members who are exposed to COVID-19 need to quarantine. Instead, the agency advises those exposed to wear masks for 10 days and to get tested. Additionally, “test-to-stay” programs, which required frequent testing for unvaccinated, exposed children, have been discontinued. This means that if a child is exposed at school but remains symptom-free and tests negative, they will not need to stay home for 10 days, regardless of their vaccination status.
While many previous COVID-19 restrictions have been relaxed, the CDC still encourages mask-wearing in high-transmission areas, which currently affects over 40% of the nation. The agency has also urged schools to implement masking policies that support students with disabilities or those who are immunocompromised, ensuring that these students are not segregated from their peers.
For students who test positive for COVID-19, the protocol remains: they should stay home for five days or longer if symptoms persist and wear a mask for ten days. They do not need to test negative to return to school if they are symptom-free after five days. Although routine testing is no longer recommended for asymptomatic children, the CDC suggests that schools in high-risk areas consider screening students ahead of larger events, and that measures should be taken based on infection rates.
The new guidelines may alleviate some of the stress for parents concerned about lengthy quarantines, but they could also heighten anxiety for others who now have to rely more heavily on their instincts to keep their children healthy. As always, it’s essential to stay in touch with your child’s school and daycare to understand any specific COVID-19 policies they may have that differ from CDC recommendations. For further reading, you can explore more on this topic through our other blog post here.
Summary
The CDC’s updated COVID-19 guidelines for the 2022-23 school year have relaxed many protocols, including the elimination of quarantine for exposed students, while still emphasizing the importance of vaccination and masking in high-risk areas. Parents should engage with schools for specific policies that may differ from CDC recommendations.