Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box announced that beginning Monday, February 8, the definition of a COVID-19 close contact in schools will be changed.
During Governor Holcomb’s press briefing Wednesday afternoon, Dr. Box said data provided by schools in the state and in the country indicate that three to five percent of COVID-19 infections occur in the classroom when everyone wears a mask. She noted that most classrooms can only achieve a three-to-four foot social distance in many classes when the recommended social distance is six feet, and it has not caused an increase in COVID-19 cases.
Dr. Box stated, “We’ve weighed all of this data, as well as the burden that a 14-day quarantine and contact tracing have placed on our school systems and will be making the following changes effective Monday. We will no longer require quarantine or contact tracing if the students and teachers remain at least three feet apart and are wearing a mask at all times in just the classroom. It does not apply to lunch, athletics, band, orchestra, choir, or any other school setting where students may gather, nor does it apply to classrooms in which students have been allowed to remove their masks.”
Dr. Box added that the state is adjusting its quarantine timing, according to new options offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She stressed that the safest quarantine is 14 days, but will allow two other options provided certain conditions are met.
Dr. Box commented, “The first is to allow students and teachers to return to school after 10 days, provided that the student or teacher never developed symptoms and that they are very fastidious about wearing their mask at all times when they return to school. Another option is to allow a student or teacher to return to school after seven days if their PCR, gold standard nasal swab on day five, six or seven, or an antigen test upon the return to school on day eight, is negative. Again, this presumes the student or teacher never developed any symptoms and that they will wear their masks at all times when they return.”
She hopes that this will help decrease the disruption in in-person instruction while still keeping students, teachers and staff members safe.
BinaxNOW antigen test cards will be sent out to schools soon to help test symptomatic students and get an immediate result.
On top of that, more PPE supplies will be available to schools next week including hand sanitizer and one million KN95 masks to teachers and staff members, and 600,000 KN95 masks for children in kindergarten to sixth grade.
Additionally, hand sanitizer and three million KN95 masks will be available for critical infrastructure frontline workers.
Information will be sent to businesses and school districts will be contacted concerning delivery options.
