Fully vaccinated students no longer need to quarantine
DARIEN — Eligible Darien students who are fully vaccinated will no longer need to quarantine if contact tracing reveals they have been exposed to a positive COVID-19 case.
In an email sent to school parents Friday, Schools Superintendent Alan Addley encouraged parents to have their children over 16 vaccinated. “As the number of COVID cases and students who need to be quarantined continue to decline we anticipate a disruptionfree remainder to the school year,” Addley said. “... We also wanted to inform
parents that fully vaccinated students are not subject to quarantine if they are determined to be a close contact of an individual who tested positive.”
Currently in the district, there are three members confirmed positive, with 15 in quarantine and five locations impacted as per the COVID-19 dashboard.
Parents were notified that, if their child has received two doses of vaccine, they should submit a copy of their COVID vaccine card to the Darien High School nurses at mlafeve@darienps.org.
“A fully vaccinated individual is one who is two weeks (14 calendar days) beyond the second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer COVID vaccine, or the dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine,” Alicia Casucci, head of nursing for the school district, said in a followup email to families.
Fully vaccinated individuals are not subject to quarantine if they are determined to be a close contact of an individual who tested positive, or after they travel, Casucci said.
“For students, this applies to participation inperson learning, afterschool activities such as athletics, performing arts and clubs, and school sponsored events such as prom and graduation,” she said.
Last weekend, the district coordinated a student clinic with the Center for Public Health to offer Pfizer vaccines at the former site of Lord & Taylor in Stamford.
The town’s health department also announced it has transitioned to a “no appointment needed” system for COVID-19 vaccines. Walk-ins do not have to be Darien residents.
Clinics are being held Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning next week, as long as demand for vaccine exists, in the gym of the Mather Community Center to the right of Town Hall on Renshaw Road.
Pfizer is the only vaccine approved for ages 16 and up. The town is unable to provide Pfizer due to not having the appropriate cold storage it requires.