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12/30/2021 Message from McDaniel | COVID-19 Update - New CDC Guidelines

OKCPS Staff and Families,

As you may already be aware, on Monday, the CDC released updated guidance related to isolation and quarantine for COVID-19. OKCPS will align our current procedures with the new guidance. However, we ask for your patience while we implement the updated guidelines from the CDC and work out the details on how this will look for OKCPS. 

The new guidelines (as of December 27, 2021) are listed below.

If You Test Positive for COVID-19 (Isolate)

Everyone, regardless of vaccination status.
  • Stay home for 5 days.
  • If you have no symptoms or your symptoms are resolving after 5 days, you can leave your house.
  • Continue to wear a mask around others for 5 additional days.

 

If you have a fever, continue to stay home until your fever resolves*.

 

*OKCPS defines “fever resolves” as no fever without fever reducing medication for 24 hours. 

If You Were Exposed to Someone with COVID-19 (Quarantine)

If you:

Have been boosted

OR

Completed the primary series of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine within the last 6 months

OR

Completed the primary series of J&J vaccine within the last 2 months
  • Wear a mask around others for 10 days.
  • Test on day 5, if possible.
  • If you develop symptoms, get a test and stay home.

If you:

Completed the primary series of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine over 6 months ago and are not boosted

OR

Completed the primary series of J&J over 2 months ago and are not boosted

OR

Are unvaccinated
  • Stay home for 5 days. After that continue to wear a mask around others for 5 additional days.
  • Test on day 5 if possible.
  • If you develop symptoms get a test and stay home

As a reminder, when staff returns on January 3rd and students return on January 4, 2022, all students and staff will be required to continue wearing a mask, unless a previous exemption has been issued. OKCPS will continue to provide a mask to anyone who presents to school or work without one.

Additionally, staff should continue to report positive test results for COVID-19 during the remainder of Winter Break. Please call (405) 587-CV19 (2819) and leave a message and a member of the Contact Tracing team will return your call to provide information concerning isolation dates and additional resources. It’s important for staff to report a positive case even during the break, because isolation dates could continue into the start of the second semester. We also want to be able to provide resources to employees who may need it.

Families should resume reporting positive test results for COVID-19 when the second semester starts on January 4, 2022 by calling their child’s school.

It’s important that families do not send children to school if they are sick. Likewise, employees should not report to work if they are ill. Not only are we still facing COVID-19, but it’s also the cold and flu season. Unfortunately, the new variant, omicron, can mimic cold and flu symptoms. If you have been exposed to COVID-19 or are experiencing any symptoms, please stay home until you are well and consider getting tested for COVID-19 and influenza.  

I want to remind families about our free COVID-19 testing. Testing is available at a number of OKCPS schools and takes place every day of the school week. OKCPS is also working to ramp up our testing efforts to help support the new quarantine guidelines. To schedule an appointment, please visit our website.

This recent update to guidelines from the CDC is another reminder that the pandemic is still a very fluid situation. OKCPS will continue to work closely with state and local health officials and do our very best to keep our students and staff safe and healthy. 

I will keep you updated as necessary as we move into the spring semester and in the meantime, please stay vigilant in your own health and safety practices. 

 

Dr. Sean McDaniel

Superintendent