In The News

CDC Loosens COVID-19 Testing, Quarantine Guidance For Schools

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued guidance Thursday eliminating its Test to Stay policy in schools, which required students who were exposed to COVID-19 to test frequently in order to stay in school.

Students now have to wear a “well-fitting mask” and get tested following exposure to COVID-19 rather than follow the CDC’s Test to Stay policy, which allowed students who had been exposed to COVID-19 to remain in school as long as they tested a minimum of twice a week, according to the guidance. The Test to Stay policy is eliminated because quarantine is no longer included in the guidance for students who have been exposed to COVID-19.

If schools continue to quarantine students who have been exposed to COVID-19, then the Test to Stay policy is recommended to be continued, the guidance stated.

“This latest guidance from the CDC should give our students, parents, and educators the confidence they need to head back to school this year with a sense of joy and optimism,” Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement. “While COVID continues to evolve, so has our understanding of the science and what it takes to return to school safely. Thanks to vaccines, boosters, new treatments and commonsense safety precautions – as well as funding from the American Rescue Plan – our schools have more resources than ever before to provide the healthy learning environments our students need to grow and thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.”

The CDC suggested that if a student is exposed to COVID-19 and cannot wear a mask, schools and early childhood programs should consider masking and testing. Schools and early childhood settings are “not considered high-risk congregate settings” and administrators are to decide how to manage exposures with an emphasis on encouraging in-person learning.

There is significant evidence that masking in schools is not particularly effective at preventing the spread of COVID-19 in schools. Nearly 45% of K-12 educators reported that at least half of their students were behind grade-level expectations at the end of the year due to the pandemic.

The Department of Education declined the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org

Reagan Reese

Share
Published by
Reagan Reese

Recent Posts

Trump Admin Moves To Hit Illegal Immigrants With Instant, Massive Fines

The Trump administration says it’s done warning illegal immigrants who defy deportation orders before issuing…

14 hours ago

Unelected Official Targets Gun Owners, Private Schools In Latest Rejection of Trump Policies

Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough continues to rummage through the Senate’s version of President Donald Trump’s…

14 hours ago

Liberal Orgs Seize On Opening Left By Supreme Court’s Nationwide Injunction Ruling

Left-wing advocacy groups wasted no time Friday capitalizing on what some conservatives worry is a…

14 hours ago

Trump Locks In China Trade Deal, Keeps Pressure On Beijing

The Trump administration has finalized its trade deal with China, but isn’t lifting countermeasures just…

14 hours ago

Hamas In Rough Shape With Tehran In Disarray

Hamas may be on its last legs as Israel’s weakening of Iran and arming of…

14 hours ago