Health Department okays modified quarantining
for schools with mask ordinances
November 25, 2020
Sheila Harris
The Barry County Health Board voted to follow the state’s new guidance by allowing Barry County schools to modify their quarantine requirements for students and faculty if masking conditions were met. The decision was made in a November 19 meeting of the health board.
“Each school system, individually, must make the decision to impose a mask mandate for students and staff, in order for the relaxed quarantine requirements to apply,” Barry County Health Department director Roger Brock said.
In a November 12 press release, Governor Mike Parson, in conjunction with the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), issued updated guidance that said if both a person diagnosed with COVID-19 and a close contact of the person diagnosed are wearing masks correctly, the individual exposed does not need to quarantine. The purpose of the modification is to allow students to spend more time in the classroom. For the modification to apply, the school itself must have a mask mandate in place.
“The change in quarantine requirements only apply to school settings,” Brock said. “Outside of school, close contacts of the COVID-19-positive person must still observe the quarantine period.”
Brock said, too, that the relaxation of quarantine requirements is only applicable to classroom interactions. For extra-curricular activities, such as sports, or any other setting where masks can’t be worn, the standard 14-day quarantine period will need to be observed.
As of Monday, Brock was still waiting to hear back from the Exeter School District regarding their interest in passing a masking ordinance. All other schools, both public and private, he said, have either passed one, or are working toward doing so.
Sheila Harris
The Barry County Health Board voted to follow the state’s new guidance by allowing Barry County schools to modify their quarantine requirements for students and faculty if masking conditions were met. The decision was made in a November 19 meeting of the health board.
“Each school system, individually, must make the decision to impose a mask mandate for students and staff, in order for the relaxed quarantine requirements to apply,” Barry County Health Department director Roger Brock said.
In a November 12 press release, Governor Mike Parson, in conjunction with the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), issued updated guidance that said if both a person diagnosed with COVID-19 and a close contact of the person diagnosed are wearing masks correctly, the individual exposed does not need to quarantine. The purpose of the modification is to allow students to spend more time in the classroom. For the modification to apply, the school itself must have a mask mandate in place.
“The change in quarantine requirements only apply to school settings,” Brock said. “Outside of school, close contacts of the COVID-19-positive person must still observe the quarantine period.”
Brock said, too, that the relaxation of quarantine requirements is only applicable to classroom interactions. For extra-curricular activities, such as sports, or any other setting where masks can’t be worn, the standard 14-day quarantine period will need to be observed.
As of Monday, Brock was still waiting to hear back from the Exeter School District regarding their interest in passing a masking ordinance. All other schools, both public and private, he said, have either passed one, or are working toward doing so.