New York City public schools will return from winter break on Monday as part of a new home testing regime that will allow students exposed to COVID-19 to stay in school as long as they are negative and that they do not show symptoms.
Under the policy established by former Mayor Bill de Blasio and which is expected to continue under new Mayor Eric Adams, students or staff exposed to a person who tests positive will undergo two home tests, according to the Department’s website. Education.
Students exposed to the virus will be allowed to attend school as long as they are negative on the day of the test and up to five days after exposure, according to the policy. People who test positive should be isolated for 10 days.
3-K and Pre-K students who have been exposed to COVID-19 must still self-quarantine for 10 days.
Schools previously tested only 10 percent of unvaccinated students. According to the city’s health ministry from October to December, 98% of close contacts of public school students who are positive for COVID do not end up contracting the virus themselves.
Students, parents and staff will not be required to show proof of negative test results.
Childhood hospitalizations for COVID-19 have increased in New York City in recent weeks, with a third of young patients suffering from underlying conditions.
Appearing on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, Mayor Adams urged parents “not to fear” sending their children away amid the ongoing wave of Omicron variants.
“The number of transmissions is low, your children are in a safe space to learn and continue to grow. We’ve lost almost two years of education… we can’t do it anymore, ”Hizzoner told host George Stephanopoulos.
“We want to create a safe environment with testing,” said the new mayor. “We will identify the children who are exposed. We’re going to take them out of that environment, and the numbers show that just because one child is exposed in a classroom doesn’t mean the whole class is exposed.
–
.
–
