January 12, 2022 | ECECD Guidelines Update
Dear Parents and Guardians:
We have received updated COVID Practices from ECECD today and wanted to share them with you. The biggest change has been the reduction in isolation and quarantine times from 10 days down to 5 days. The New Guidelines from ECECD state that anyone with symptoms of COVID, regardless of vaccination status:
If you have symptoms, regardless of your vaccination status,
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Test with an at-home rapid test or a PCR test and stay at home until you get your results.
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If Positive, follow the Positive for COVID steps below.
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If you test negative, but still have symptoms, continue to stay at home and get a PCR or second at-home rapid test in 1-2 days time.
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If you test positive on the second at-home test or PCR test, follow the Positive for COVID guidelines below.
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If you cannot get a test, but still have symptoms, assume you are positive and follow the guidelines for Positive COVID.
If you test Positive for COVID:
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You must stay at home and isolate for 5 days. Day 0 is the day of your first symptoms or the day your positive test was taken, if asymptomatic.
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If you have no symptoms after 5 days, you can leave home but continue to wear a mask, such as KN95 or surgical grade masks, for the next 5 days.
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If you have a fever or other persistent symptoms, continue to isolate at home until you are fever-free for 24 hours and other symptoms are resolving.
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To prevent spread, tell anyone you were in close contact with and encourage them to get tested and monitor for symptoms.
If you are fully vaccinated:
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You do not have to quarantine but must continue to wear your mask around others for 10 days. Day 0 is the day of exposure and Day 1 is the day after last exposure.
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Test on Day 5
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If you develop symptoms at any time, get tested and stay at home until you get your results.
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If you cannot get a test, but still have symptoms, assume you are positive and follow the Positive COVID guidelines above (isolate for 5 days).
If you are NOT vaccinated, not fully vaccinated or without a Booster:
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Stay at home and quarantine for 5 days.
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Then wear a mask around others for 5 MORE DAYS.
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If you develop symptoms at any time, get tested and stay at home until you receive your results.
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If you cannot get a test, but still have symptoms, assume you are positive, isolate at home and follow the above Guidelines for Positive COVID.
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IF a close contact is continuously exposed (i.e., lives in the same household), the close contact must quarantine for 5 days during the infectious period of the positive household member PLUS an additional 5 days in case the close contact becomes positive. This is a minimum 10 day quarantine period when living with a positive COVID member.
CLOSE CONTACTS - A ‘close contact’ is defined as being closer than six feet for more than 15 cumulative minutes within a 24 hour period to a person who has tested positive for COVID-19.
QUARANTINE means your child should not attend any functions outside of your home during the quarantine period.
The symptoms of COVID-19 are cough or shortness of breath, fever, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, or new loss of taste or smell.
If your child has previously tested positive for COVID-19, they do not need to quarantine after another exposure for the next 3 months unless they experience symptoms.
Only one parent is allowed in the building at this time. We are stretching the guidelines somewhat here to even allow a parent inside the building as ECECD accepts only pickup and dropoff for parent interactions.
Masks are to be worn by all parents, guardians and all children 2 years old and up. Physical distancing of at least 6 feet is required for all parents. Daily temperature checks and screenings for symptoms must occur at the front door. Cleaning and sanitizing regularly touched surfaces are required between groups.
We will continue to follow all the NMDOH and ECECD guidelines for sanitation and deep cleaning. Our first priority must always be the safety of our students and teachers. Please bear with us as we navigate these uncertain times. Remember: Kindness, Honesty, Hard Work!