Starting in March, Aiken County Public Schools will relax their COVID restrictions. This change comes on the heels of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control’s (SCDHEC) update to COVID-19 Guidance for K-12 Schools.
Updated Guidelines
According to the SCDHEC website, the guidance was updated on February 22, 2022. In the Revision History on this document, it notes revised exclusion criteria for close contacts, updated threshold for virtual learning, revised the table for cases and close contacts and updated the notification letter.
Bringing students back full-time to in-person learning is an important goal for SCDHEC, recognizing full time education as vitally important to make sure students do not fall behind in their education or their social interactions. The interim guidance listed on the website is based on the latest evidence-based science. If the need arises, SCDHEC will revise or update the guidance as needed.
The guidance issued by SCDHEC includes transitioning schools from Test to Stay and quarantine to learning, working and living with COVID-19 with minimal disruptions. The changes are similar to SCDHEC’s guidance for influenza, prior to the pandemic.
Aiken County Public Schools
Superintendent King Laurence announced Aiken County Schools will relax their COVID-based restrictions on volunteers, visitors, fields trips and other school events, effective March 1, 2022.
Some highlighted points from the new guidance, pointed out on the Aiken County Public Schools website includes:
- Guidance applies to individual schools.
- Schools can suspend Test to Stay or quarantine once they have two consecutive weeks with less than 10% of cases. The first two-week period ends February 28th.
- After Test to Stay or quarantine ends, contact tracing and testing and masking close contacts without symptoms will no longer be required.
- Isolation requirements for those who are positive for COVID-19 remains unchanged.
To see the full SCDHEC COVID-19 Guidance for K-12 Schools, click here.
For healthcare workers, vaccine mandates continue.