Modified Quarantine

Kaitlyn Crisp (11)

Modified Quarantine Interview with Nurse Love

Kaitlyn Crisp (11)

I was recently put into a modified quarantine. I was put into quarantine on Tuesday last week. About two days into my quarantine, my mom received a call from the Health Department saying I qualified for a “modified quarantine.” Which meant I was not allowed to participate in any social activities, but I could go to school. I had to check in with the nurse twice a day, when I get to school and before I go to lunch.

I had a few questions about the upbringing and effectiveness of the modified quarantine. I emailed my questions to the health department and our school nurse, Amy Love. The health department did respond to me, but they asked me not to use their response in my article.

The following is the email interview with Nurse Love.

Crisp: How does the modified quarantine work?

Love: “While at school, if a student or staff member is identified as a close contact to a covid positive person, as long as both parties were wearing a qualifying mask correctly, when unable to social distance greater than 6ft, then the close contact qualifies for a Modified Quarantine.

· A Modified Quarantine means the close contact will quarantine at home for the first 7 days of the recommended quarantine.

· As long as you have not exhibited ANY COVID symptoms the first 7 days after exposure, you may return to in-school learning ONLY beginning on Day 8 and through the remainder of the quarantine.

· The student is still considered quarantined after school hours and may NOT participate in person with any sports, any extra-curricular activities or events.

· To qualify for a modified quarantine the student will also be monitored twice daily by the school nurse beginning on the morning they are allowed to return to school for the remainder of the 10 days following exposure.

· Monitoring of symptoms for modified quarantines will happen before attending 1st hour class and during 4th hour, before going to lunch.

· If at any point during those last 7 days of modified quarantine the close contact develops symptoms, they will then be required to stay home for the remainder of their quarantine.

If symptoms develop while at school, the close contact will be sent to the isolation room and sent home. Covid testing is then recommended by the ACHD.

· To clarify, there are no changes for people who test positive for Covid, they still isolate at home for 10 days following the onset of symptoms.

· All dates of quarantines, modified quarantines and release of quarantines are made by the Adair County Health Department.

· You are not allowed to participate in any school activity/practices/clubs etc (other than online) until after your quarantine end date.”

Crisp: How is the modified quarantine keeping others safe from being infected?

Love: “The best way to prevent COVID (with the information we have currently) is protecting yourself and others by wearing a mask and practicing good hand washing and social distancing. Monitor yourself for symptoms. Isolate away from others if you have symptoms and get tested to be aware of your risk to others when symptoms appear to reduce the spread and risk to others.

These are the universal precautions used to reduce the spread of many air borne viruses. Treating everyone as if they could potentially have COVID, as you can't see COVID and usually people are transmitting the virus 1 to 2 before they are feeling symptoms.

A modified quarantine isolates when the risk of transmission is the highest. It continues to monitor for symptoms twice a day to get testing done early and reduce transmission. In a modified quarantine, you are only released to return to a specific structured place (classroom, work, etc) with precautions being taken IF you feel fine and have NO symptoms.

You are still considered quarantined for the rest of the day. Reducing the risk of transmission more. Thus far, our data in the high school has been promising that the modified quarantine is working and is reducing the amount of time students are out of school. It will only work with everyone being diligent observing precautions, honest about symptoms, and isolating when not in school.”

Crisp: Has this system been thoroughly researched and tested to ensure its effectiveness?

Love: “YES and NO. The newness of COVID makes research, theories, treatments and practices "the best we know to do with the knowledge we have." We are learning as we go. Policies and practices are evolving as more data OVER TIME, becomes available. As we know better, we do better.

This means if people are not responsible and respectful of the guidelines and work together for the greater good, then more stringent and restricting policies will have to be put in place to protect the whole. It is the same reason we have speed limits and other public health and safety laws.”

Crisp: If it is safe enough for students to be in school, why aren't they safe enough to participate in social activities?

Love: “Being in school is not without risk of spread but with the current practices in place student to student transmission in the classroom setting has not been seen or proven a high risk event.

Other school activities have seen apparent spread among students and are activities that social distancing, and proper face masks are not able to be consistently done. These activities also often involve travel and individuals outside a student's cohort of frequent contacts. Activities also puts a student around more people than just classmates, potentially affecting more people if the student happens to become positive. You come in contact with and potentially affect more people in a 14 hour day then you do in an 8 hour day.

In the classroom even though social distance cannot always be perfectly obtained, it is better maintained that with many school activities. Activities that cause physical exertion also increases and deepens respirations putting more droplets in the air and exacerbating spread if a student happened to be positive.”