Aiken County Superintendent King Laurence announced Tuesday, February 22, 2022, that Aiken County Public Schools is relaxing its COVID-based restrictions on volunteers, visitors, field trips, and other school events, effective March 1, 2022. His announcement followed a Tuesday release of updated DHEC guidance for K-12 schools.
“I am relaxing the COVID-based restrictions on volunteers, visitors, field trips, and other school events effective March 1,” stated Superintendent Laurence. “Our original intent was to begin making that move to relax those restrictions right after Christmas, but the Omicron spike interfered with that plan.”
DHEC’s newly issued guidance is meant to help schools transition from the Test to Stay program and quarantine to learning, working, and living with COVID-19 with minimal disruptions. According to a DHEC news release, its latest guidance is similar to its pre-COVID-19 guidance for influenza.
Pursuant to DHEC’s most recent guidance schools may suspend Test to Stay or quarantine beginning March 1, 2022, if they have had two consecutive weeks with less than 10 percent of all students and staff having COVID-19. However, if a school that has suspended Test to Stay or quarantine has two consecutive weeks with 10 percent or more of all students and staff having COVID-19, either Test to Stay or quarantine will need to be reinstated.
“Our planned implementation of the Test to Stay program will be placed on hold pending an additional week of data,” added Superintendent Laurence.
The District will continue its current practice of contact tracing and quarantine of close contacts through Monday, February 28, 2022, while continuing to monitor data.
KEY POINTS OF LATEST DHEC GUIDANCE FOR SCHOOLS
- The guidance applies to individual schools, not entire school districts.
- Schools may suspend Test to Stay or quarantine once they have had two consecutive weeks with less than 10 percent of all students and staff having COVID-19.
- When Test to Stay or quarantine has stopped, contact tracing and testing and masking of close contacts without symptoms is no longer required.
- The first two-week period ends Feb. 28, 2022.
- Based on week-one data (week of Feb. 21) and if the trend of low cases continues, DHEC anticipates that most schools and childcare centers will have the option to suspend Test to Stay or quarantine on March 1, 2022.
- Schools will continue to report the number of cases to DHEC on a weekly basis.
- If a school or childcare center that has suspended Test to Stay or quarantine and has two consecutive weeks with 10 percent or more of all students and staff having COVID-19, either Test to Stay or Quarantine will need to be reinstated.
- Isolation requirements for those who have COVID-19 will remain unchanged.
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LINK TO DISTRICT PRESS RELEASE: 2022 PR DISTRICT COVID RESTRICTIONS