State issues more guidance for schools
They sent school leaders recommendations on what should be done if a case of COVID-19 happens in a school.
School leaders across Pennsylvania have, for months, been looking for help.
They’ve asked for added guidance from the state on how to handle the upcoming school year. They’ve asked for metrics and they’ve asked for rules.
On Monday, the state responded by unveiling a new online tool that categorizes counties by the level of risk of the spread of COVID-19 based on case data.
It shares suggestions on whether schools should be held in person, online or a mix of the two for each of the three categories: low, moderate or substantial.
On Thursday evening, the state departments of education and health provided another new piece of guidance. They sent school leaders recommendations on what should be done if a case of COVID-19 happens in a school.
State officials said they or the appropriate county officials will work individually with any districts that experience COVID-19 cases.
“When a case of COVID-19 is identified in a school setting, public health staff from the Department of Health or a county or municipal health department will work with school administrators to provide guidance and advice related to cleaning and disinfecting, contact tracing and quarantine recommendations, and closing certain areas of the school or the entire school building if necessary,” the guidance reads.
The new guidance includes a chart detailing what should be done in different scenarios, providing suggested procedures based on how many people are infected and the community spread risk of the county in which the school resides.
The community spread categories are the same as those in the tool released Monday: low, moderate and substantial. Berks County is in the moderate category.
The other categories take a look at the number of cases over a 14-day span:
• One student or staff over 14 days.
• Two to four students and staff in the same building or less than 5% of the students and staff in a school building or multiple buildings with individual cases of people who don’t live in the same house.
• Five or more students and staff in one building or greater than 5% of the students and staff in a school building or multiple school buildings with two or more cases of people who don’t live in the same house.
Based on the categories, suggested reactions to cases range from cleaning to closing schools for two weeks.
For just one case in counties with low or moderate risk of community spread, the state is recommending:
• Schools do not need to be closed.
• The areas where the infected person was should be cleaned.
• Public health staff contact people the individual was in close contact with and direct them to quarantine.
For the middle case number category in counties with low or moderate risk of community spread the state is recommending:
• The school or schools should be closed for three to five days.
• The areas where the infected person was should be cleaned.
• Public health staff contact those the individual was in close contact with and direct them to quarantine.
And for the high case number category in counties with low or moderate risk of community spread the state is recommending:
• The school or schools should be closed for 14 days.
• The entire school or schools should be cleaned.
• Public health staff contact people the individual was in close contact with and direct them to quarantine.
The state is recommending that schools in counties with a high risk of community spread do not hold classes in person at all. At the moment, only Union County is in that category.
The guidance says that in the case of a widespread outbreak in an area, districts may have to forgo the new recommendations and move quickly to shift to close down schools and shift to a fully virtual instructional model.
The new state guidance also include other recommendations for school districts, including some tips about cleaning and disinfecting schools if there is a positive test:
• Schools should close off all areas used by the infected individual and not occupy them again until after they’ve been cleaned and disinfected.
• Students should not be present while disinfectants are in use.
• To protect the health of staff, janitorial and cleaning staff should wait at least 24 hours before cleaning and disinfecting.