The COVID-19 pandemic continues to advance worldwide, and the Bay Area is no exception: the omicron variant is driving the number of positive cases in the Redwood City School District (RCSD) as well.
As of Wednesday, January 12, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) implemented new guidelines that change from group tracing to close contact tracing.
This means that RCSD will notify "clusters" of exposed students rather than tracking contacts to identify individual "close contacts".
In response, COVID-19 Response Director, Dr. Shanna Laney, reported in a letter on Tuesday, January 18, that at Orion Elementary School, an individual working at the 4th and 5th grade levels was identified as testing positive for COVID-19.
He specified that the person with the SARS-CoV-2 virus was initially at school during the infectious period, so public health recommendations have been followed to ensure that the infected person follows the isolation instructions: that they remain away from others until they can safely return to school.
For families with children enrolled in that school, he specified that students can remain in school unless they develop symptoms or test positive for COVID-19.
"Remember that being exposed to someone with COVID-19 does not necessarily mean your child will become infected. In fact, scientific research and experience from across the country, including California during this school year, show that schools remain one of the safest places for children," he stressed in a statement issued to the Orion community.
At the same time, he recommended COVID-19 testing of all children attending the school campus, three to five days from January 18.
In this regard, he reminded that over-the-counter home tests, or the RCSD diagnostic testing service for students and staff, can be used for testing.
It should be noted that Primary Health registration is required to perform the test. This has to be completed only once.
If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19 or tests positive, she said, you should make sure he or she is isolated at home immediately and notify the school office. "When you notify us, we can take additional steps to keep our school community safe."
It is necessary to know that children should continue to wear mouthguards indoors at school and in the community according to school, local and state requirements.
"Follow school protocols to protect against COVID-19. High quality masks with the best fit and filtration will provide the best protection for your child and the school community."
"If you have not already done so, your child should be vaccinated against COVID-19. If he or she is 12 years of age or older, a booster dose is recommended five months after the second dose. COVID-19 vaccines remain the best way to protect against the spread of this virus and against serious illness," he added.
Laney stressed that it is important that all members of the school community continue to follow the safety protocols in place at the school.
"Because COVID-19 transmission remains much more likely to occur outside of the school setting, infections diagnosed in students and educational staff are not necessarily the result of exposure at school when following safety protocols on our campus," he explained.
For questions and concerns regarding the school's actions, he encouraged interested parties to contact his office at 650-482-2269, or via email at covidnotifications@rcsdk8.netand visit the institution's website for updates.
"Rest assured that we are committed to facilitating an optimal learning experience that ensures the safety of our students and staff," he ended.
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