Letter to the Community – Updated Quarantine and Isolation Guidance

Dear Parents and Guardians, We are pleased to share that the isolation and quarantine period for students and staff members sick with COVID-19 or considered a close contact has been reduced to five days. Friday, the Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois State Board of Education and PCCHD, and IDPH announced that the agencies have adopted CDC guidance for P-12 schools that halves the isolation and quarantine period. The Centers for Disease Control updated its guidance for P-12 schools on January 6. As a result, effective immediately, Hollis School will implement the updated guidance. As soon as possible, we will contact staff, students, and families who are currently impacted by a quarantine with a revised return to school plan. This announcement does not change the state of Illinois’ mask requirement for anyone inside school buildings. The Governor’s indoor mask mandate for school is still in effect until further notice. Staff and students who are currently impacted by a quarantine now have a revised return to school date. More information on the guidance given:

• Quarantine and isolation periods begin with day 0 (the day a person is in the last contact with a positive case, symptoms onset, or the day a person tests positive for COVID) and continues through day 5. If one tests positive on Monday, Tuesday would be day 1 and Saturday would be day 5, with the individual able to move out of quarantine/isolation on Sunday. The individual should continue to wear a well-fitting mask through day 10. If the student or staff member can not wear a mask, then the individual needs to complete the 10 days of quarantine.
• Students/Staff may return to school after 5 full days of isolation if they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and other symptoms are gone.
• If you are unvaccinated and home with a positive, your 5 days start from the last contact of positive (depending on isolation).

Those who are fully vaccinated and are not demonstrating symptoms do not need to quarantine. To be considered fully vaccinated:

• An individual who is age 18 and older and has received all recommended vaccine doses, including boosters and additional primary shots for some immunocompromised people.
• An individual who is age 5–17 years and completed the primary series of COVID-19 vaccines.
• An individual who has had a confirmed case of COVID-19 within the last 90 days (tested positive using a viral test).
• Home test kits are not allowed to be able to return to school.

Hollis School will begin implementing this new guidance immediately. For those students/staff who are currently in quarantine/isolation, you may return after having served 5 full days of quarantine/isolation as long as you have been fever-free and symptom-free for at least 24 hours. Currently, our preschool is under different regulations and those regulations have not changed. Weare hopeful that we will receive new guidance, but are currently under the earlier regulations for our preschool (14 days). The new guidance is promising as we want to keep kids in-person learning as much as possible.However, with the surge in cases and the difficulty our current healthcare system is having in response to the surge, it will be even more important for all of us to follow all COVID mitigation measures. With the reduction in isolation and quarantine dates to 5, it is imperative that we all work together to keep everyone healthy. PLEASE KEEP SICK STUDENTS HOME. Thank you for your continued patience and support as we continue to adjust to ever-changing guidance. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the administration team.