# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Stay home if you might have been exposed to COVID-19

Health departments: Detailed CDC recommendations for public health agencies on the duration of quarantine can be found here.

Local public health authorities determine and establish the quarantine options for their jurisdictions. Quarantine is used to keep someone who might have been exposed to COVID-19 away from others. Quarantine helps prevent spread of disease that can occur before a person knows they are sick or if they are infected with the virus without feeling symptoms. People in quarantine should stay home, separate themselves from others, monitor their health, and follow directions from their state or local health department.

Quarantine or isolation: What's the difference?

Quarantine keeps someone who might have been exposed to the virus away from others.

Isolation keeps someone who is infected with the virus away from others, even in their home.

People who have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19-excluding people who have had COVID-19 within the past 3 months or who are fully vaccinated.

People who have tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 3 months and recovered do not have to quarantine or get tested again as long as they do not develop new symptoms.

People who develop symptoms again within 3 months of their first bout of COVID-19 may need to be tested again if there is no other cause identified for their symptoms.

People who have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 are not required to quarantine if they have been fully vaccinated against the disease and show no symptoms.

You were within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more

You provided care at home to someone who is sick with COVID-19

You had direct physical contact with the person (hugged or kissed them)

You shared eating or drinking utensils

They sneezed, coughed, or somehow got respiratory droplets on you

Stay home and monitor your health

Stay home for 14 days after your last contact with a person who has COVID-19.

Watch for fever (100.4◦F), cough, shortness of breath, or other symptoms of COVID-19

If possible, stay away from others, especially people who are at higher risk for getting very sick from COVID-19

Options to reduce quarantine

Reducing the length of quarantine may make it easier for people to quarantine by reducing the time they cannot work. A shorter quarantine period also can lessen stress on the public health system, especially when new infections are rapidly rising.

Your local public health authorities make the final decisions about how long quarantine should last, based on local conditions and needs. Follow the recommendations of your local public health department if you need to quarantine. Options they will consider include stopping quarantine

After day 10 without testing

After day 7 after receiving a negative test result (test must occur on day 5 or later)

After stopping quarantine, you should

Watch for symptoms until 14 days after exposure.

If you have symptoms, immediately self-isolate and contact your local public health authority or healthcare provider.

Wear a mask, stay at least 6 feet from others, wash your hands, avoid crowds, and take other steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

CDC continues to endorse quarantine for 14 days and recognizes that any quarantine shorter than 14 days balances reduced burden against a small possibility of spreading the virus. CDC will continue to evaluate new information and update recommendations as needed. See Options to Reduce Quarantine for Contacts of Persons with SARS-CoV-2 Infection Using Symptom Monitoring and Diagnostic Testing for guidance on options to reduce quarantine.

Confirmed and suspected cases of reinfection of the virus that causes COVID-19

Cases of reinfection of COVID-19 have been reported but are rare. In general, reinfection means a person was infected (got sick) once, recovered, and then later became infected again. Based on what we know from similar viruses, some reinfections are expected.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Stay home if you might have been exposed to COVID-19 Health departments: Detailed CDC recommendations for public health agencies on the duration of quarantine can be found here. Local public health authorities determine and establish the quarantine options for their jurisdictions. Quarantine is used to keep someone who might have been exposed to COVID-19 away from others.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
School nurses and other healthcare personnel (HCP) play an important role in safely keeping schools and child care programs open for in-person learning, in addition to supporting other in-person activities, during the COVID-19 pandemic. School nurses and other HCP routinely evaluate students for symptoms or exposures. They also assist administrators and teachers in implementing prevention strategies; contact tracing; maintaining school-based clinics; implementing school-based testing strategies; and supporting students, families, and staff. The information and resources below can help in performing these new roles and responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Resources for self-care are also included.

COVID-19 and Children

While fewer children had been reported to have COVID-19 compared with adults in the United States, the number of children and adolescents with COVID-19 has been increasing since early in the pandemic. Children can be infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can get sick with COVID-19, and can spread the virus to others. Most infected children have mild symptoms and some have no symptoms at all. Some children can get severely ill from COVID-19, which means they might require hospitalization, intensive care, a ventilator, or might even die. Among those who do experience COVID-19 symptoms, the symptoms are typically similar in adults and children and can look like other common illnesses pdf icon [579 KB, 1 Page] , such as the common cold, strep throat, influenza, asthma or seasonal allergies. For more information about influenza, visit Influenza Information for Health Professionals and Similarities and Difference between Flu and COVID-19.

Children with underlying medical conditions are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. Additionally, some children may develop the rare but serious condition associated with COVID-19 called Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). For more information on COVID-19 in children, visit Information for Pediatric Healthcare Providers.

Prevention Strategies for Schools and Child Care Settings

Prevention strategies should be layered, using many at the same time, to prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. The key prevention strategies for schools are:

For information on protecting school staff, visit Protecting K-12 School Staff from COVID-19.

Quarantine, Isolation, Symptom Screening, and Testing for Children

Quarantine and isolation are public health practices used to prevent exposure to people who have or may have a contagious disease, such as COVID-19. Quarantine keeps someone who might have been exposed to the virus away from others, and isolation keeps someone who is infected with the virus away from others. Check your local health department's website for information about quarantine requirements for your area.

CDC does not currently recommend that schools conduct symptom screenings for students, but parents, guardians, and caregivers are strongly encouraged to monitor their children for signs and symptoms of infectious illness every day. Students who are sick should not attend school in-person. For more information on symptom screening, what to do if a student has symptoms of COVID-19, and when that student can return to in-person school, visit Screening K-12 Students for Symptoms of COVID-19: Limitations and Considerations.

CDC recommends testing for people with any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 and for all close contacts of persons with COVID-19. For more information, visit Overview of Testing for SARS-CoV-2, Information for Pediatric Healthcare Providers, and Considerations for Testing in K-12 Schools.

Additionally, CDC's Coronavirus Self-Checker is an interactive clinical assessment tool that can be used by school nurses and other HCPs, as well as parents, guardians, and caregivers, to help make decisions on when to seek testing or medical care for persons presenting with COVID-19 symptoms or with a potential exposure to someone with COVID-19.

Contact Tracing in Schools

Contact tracing is essential to prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. Contact tracing is the process of notifying people (close contacts) of their potential exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19, providing information about the virus, providing instructions for quarantine and monitoring for symptoms, and referring to testing, clinical services, and other services as needed. School nurses and other HCP in schools and child care settings may be asked to help administrators and public health officials with contact tracing. For more information, visit Case Investigation and Contact Tracing in K-12 Schools and discuss with your public health officials.

Infection Prevention Recommendations for School Nurses and Other HCP Providing Care

School nurses and other HCP in schools and child care settings should follow the Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Healthcare Personnel when providing direct care.

Clinical Services Provided by Schools

Many important clinical services (e.g., immunizations, behavioral health, reproductive health) are provided in schools. Information for providing in-person services ( Get your Clinic Ready for COVID-19) and telehealth services ( Using Telehealth during the COVID-19 Pandemic) is available. Please also see information on COVID-19 specific considerations:

The infection prevention and control practices, described above, should be followed when providing in-person clinical services. All equipment should be cleaned and disinfected between uses. Environmental infection control recommendations should be followed after caring for someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. General information on cleaning, disinfecting, and ventilation in schools is also available, as well as information on maintaining health environments in schools. Additional guidelines provided by school districts and local health authorities should be followed.

Supporting Students and Staff

School staff and other trusted adults can play an important role in helping children make sense of what they hear in a way that is honest, accurate, and reduces anxiety or fear. Resources to help children and young adults:

The pandemic has also been stressful for adults. Resources to help adults manage stress and promote resilience include:

Self-Care for Nurses and other Healthcare Personnel

Providing care to others during the COVID-19 pandemic can lead to stress, anxiety, fear, and other strong emotions. How nurses and other HCP cope with these emotions can affect their well-being, the care they give to others while doing their job, and the well-being of the people they care about outside of work. Resources to help are available:

CDC is learning more about how COVID-19 spreads and affects people and communities. Visit CDC's COVID-19 website for the latest information and guidance.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
School nurses and other healthcare personnel (HCP) play an important role in safely keeping schools and child care programs open for in-person learning, in addition to supporting other in-person activities, during the COVID-19 pandemic. School nurses and other HCP routinely evaluate students for symptoms or exposures.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Attention: State and Local Education Agencies and School Health Personnel

On behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), Office of Safe and Supportive Schools (OSSS), the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE) invites you to please join a presentation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on how to optimize mitigation strategies and mental health to facilitate a safe return to schools in the new year.

The presentation will include 1) user-friendly tools and information for schools to inform the selection and implementation of COVID-19 mitigation strategies; and 2) information about how to support and promote mental health for students and school staff, both in-person and virtually.

Speakers

Cria Perrine, PhD, is a Commander in the U.S. Public Health Service and an epidemiologist in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Dr. Perrine joined CDC in 2008 as part of the Epidemic Intelligence Service, CDC's front-line training program of "disease detectives." She is currently serving as the Task Force Lead for the Community Interventions and Critical Populations Task Force in CDC's COVID-19 response.

Marci Hertz, M.S. Ed., Senior Behavioral Scientist, Division of Adolescent and School Health, CDC. Since 2003 Ms. Hertz has worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a Lead Behavioral Scientist in the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control and in the Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH). She is currently a Senior Behavioral Scientist in DASH focusing on promoting mental health and preventing substance use and violence in school settings.

Registration

Everyone must register for the interactive presentation using the link below in order to gain access to the meeting room.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Returning to School: Mitigation and Mental Health Strategies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Attention: State and Local Education Agencies and School Health Personnel On behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), Office of Safe and Supportive Schools (OSSS), the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE) invites you to please join a presentation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on how to optimize mitigation strategies and mental health to facilitate a safe return to schools in the new year.