ADH Shortens Recommended Length of Time to Quarantine After Exposure to COVID-19
Following the CDC recommendation on December 2, the Arkansas Department of Health has shortened the recommended length of time to quarantine after COVID-19 exposure.
The new guidance is as follows:
Quarantine can end after Day 10 (i.e. Return on Day 11) without testing and if no symptoms have been reported during daily monitoring.
Quarantine can end after Day 7 (i.e. Return on Day 8) if a close contact tests negative (“send-off” PCR preferred but rapid acceptable) and if no symptoms were reported during daily monitoring. The specimen may be collected no sooner than a full 5 days after exposure, but quarantine cannot be discontinued earlier than after Day 7.
If at any time someone in quarantine as a close contact develops symptoms of COVID-19, they should immediately isolate and get tested for COVID-19 (even if they previously had a negative test during this quarantine). We emphasize that the above two options only apply to those who have no symptoms.
On Friday, December 4 and through the weekend, the district Point of Contact (POC) will be reaching out to any families that are impacted by the revision to inform them of their revised date for return.
For more information, call the POC at 501-414-6647 or email bryantpointofcontact@bryantschools.org.
The following link is the full guidance issued by CDC:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/scientific-brief-options-to-reduce-quarantine.html