The Washington State Department of Health has released its updated COVID-19 guidance for K-12 schools and child care centers.
Under the new guidelines, students, children, and staff who test positive for COVID-19 are required to stay at home and isolate for 5 days. Those returning from 5 days of isolation should wear a well-fitted mask from days 6 to 10 and are encouraged to test before doing so. Schools and child care providers are no longer required to directly notify high risk individuals of exposure but must continue to have a process in place to inform students, staff, and families of cases and outbreaks. Additionally, schools and child care providers are still required to report outbreaks of 3 or more cases within a specified core group to local health jurisdictions and to have a system in place to respond.
The Department of Health continues to encourage schools and child care providers to consider their local context when selecting any additional measures to help reduce COVID-19 transmission in schools and child care settings and to coordinate with their local health departments, particularly during times of outbreak.
Health officials say vaccinations remain the best protection for everyone against hospitalization and severe disease from COVID-19.
