December 4, 2020

Parents and Students,

In an attempt to keep you updated on changes related to the COVID-19 practices and protocols I want you to know that:

1.  The CDC issued updated quarantine guidelines late Wednesday, and the OHD and Licking County Health Department evaluated the information yesterday.

2.  Effective December 3, 2020, close contacts will be placed in quarantine by LCHD for 10 days rather than 14 days, which was required in CDC's original guidance.

3.  The Licking County Health Department will also be retroactively releasing individuals from quarantine who have been in quarantine for 10 to 14 days.  These individuals will be contacted via email.  This change will effect school district students and staff.

4.  The CDC's guidance also allowed for individuals to be released after 7 days if they have a negative test result.  CDC indicates this should be adopted if testing supplies are adequate.  At the moment, asymptomatic people cannot get tested in the county.  With this being the case Licking County Health Department will not be adopting this approach at this time.  They are waiting on additional guidance from ODH on this issue.

I have copied and pasted the Licking County Health Department release on this topic below for your convenience.  Thank you for your continued efforts which are allowing us to successfully maintain a continuum of instruction and activities for all students of our school district.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 12/3/2020 LICKING COUNTY, OHIO –

The Licking County Health Department (LCHD) is now following updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) regarding quarantine timelines for individuals meeting the definition of a close contact of an individual with COVID-19.

A close contact is defined as someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes. In K-12 classrooms, close contacts are defined as students who were within 3 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes and both individuals were wearing masks.

Effective today, close contacts will be placed in quarantine by LCHD for 10 days rather than 14 days, which was required in CDC’s original guidance.

To be released from quarantine, an individual must be symptom-free after 10 days.

When in quarantine, best practices are:
• Staying at home and not allowing visitors
• Monitor yourself for symptoms of COVID-19
• Regularly and thoroughly washing your hands
• Regularly and thoroughly disinfecting frequently touched surfaces such as door handles, faucets, TV remotes, cell phones, computers, tablets, etc.

In addition, LCHD will be retroactively releasing individuals from quarantine who have been in quarantine for 10 to 14 days. These individuals will be contacted via email with official documentation. Any individuals who are issued a quarantine notice beginning December 3, now will be released after 10 days of quarantine.

The CDC released additional guidance allowing individuals to be released from quarantine after 7 days if they have a negative COVID-19 test, when diagnostic testing resources are sufficient and available. Due to testing resources in Licking County, LCHD will not adopt this guidance at this time.

LCHD understands the difficult decisions being made during the pandemic, and we appreciate your dedication to the health and safety of all Licking County residents.

View updated daily posts on our website, or by visiting our Facebook page or Twitter feed. 

Sincerely,

Dale L. Dickson

Dale L. Dickson,

Superintendent