MDHHS Updates COVID-19 Quarantine Guidance For Michigan Schools
LANSING, Mich. (CBS Detroit) -- The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is updating guidance for schools amid a COVID surge.
According to the department:
- You isolate when you are infected with COVID-19 and have tested positive, even if you do not have symptoms. Isolation is used to separate people who are infected with COVID-19 from those who are not infected.
- You quarantine when you might have been exposed to COVID-19. This is because you might become infected with COVID-19 and could spread COVID-19 to others.
- Any individual that displays COVID-19 symptoms, regardless of vaccination status, should not attend school and should be tested for COVID-19.
The department is also recommending universal masking for all K-12 schools.
"Schools have the ability to be safe now that children ages 5 and older can be vaccinated," said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive at MDHHS. "We continue to urge all eligible residents to get the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible as it is our best defense against the virus. Masks, distancing, quarantine and isolation are all additional strategies that keep our schools and public spaces safe."
COVID-19 school quarantine guidelines for asymptomatic students include:
- Fully vaccinated contacts without symptoms do not need to quarantine.
- Contacts that are not fully vaccinated and do not have symptoms:
- If masking was maintained, contacts can participate in school activities if wearing a mask for 14 days after exposure and using a "Test to Stay" strategy*
- If masking was not maintained, if additional testing and mitigation strategies are used, contacts may participate in school activities at the discretion of the local health department.
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