The Gainesville City School System has updated its COVID-19 quarantine guidelines for students and employees amid rising COVID cases in the region.
According to a press release from the school system, unvaccinated students and employees are required to quarantine at home if they are exposed to the virus outside of school. However, students and employees who are vaccinated do not have to quarantine at home if they are exposed to the virus outside of school.
Vaccinated and unvaccinated students and employees who are exposed at school can continue to come to school if they are asymptomatic, but they must follow several conditions. Those exposed at school must wear a mask for a minimum of 10 days after exposure, and symptoms must be monitored daily and reported if any arise.
A parent or guardian of a child who was exposed to the virus at school may also request an at-home quarantine.
If a student tests positive for COVID-19, they must quarantine for ten days, regardless of vaccination status.
Students and employees who are symptomatic are asked to stay home and contact the school before coming in.
The press release also states that a survey was recently sent out to employees in the school system asking whether they were vaccinated. Of the 83% of employees who completed the survey, approximately 73% of those were fully vaccinated, with an additional 6% being partially vaccinated.
In the first week of school, 17 new cases were reported in the school system. Over 60% of students are consistently wearing masks in schools, according to the release.
