Changes are coming to Maryland’s Charles County Public Schools that involve quarantine rules and the number of people allowed to attend indoor events.
Starting Monday, Nov. 22, quarantine procedures will be eased a bit to allow more in-person instruction for students. For indoor school events, 100% capacity crowds are being invited back to high school athletic events and performing arts starting Nov. 29.
Under the new rules, students in prekindergarten to 12th grade won’t have to quarantine after close contact with a known COVID-19 case in a classroom or bus, as long as they were wearing masks. Parents will still be encourage to seek a test five to seven days after the possible exposure if their child begins to show symptoms.
Unvaccinated students with a positive COVID test result who are exposed again within 90 days won’t have to quarantine, either.
The school system will continue to quarantine students exposed to COVID at school when masks are not worn, such as during lunch or recess, unless the child is fully vaccinated.
The school system said it quarantined about 991 students since the start of the current academic year, but only 2% tested positive for infection.
“In recent weeks, CCPS has seen a decrease in positive COVID-19 cases from classroom or bus-related exposures,” Superintendent Maria Navarro said in a news release.
“Now that a COVID-19 vaccine is available for most school-aged children, CCPS will continue to look at resuming as many normal school-related activities and opportunities as possible. We will remain flexible in adjusting our operating procedures as health conditions warrant.”
