Throughout the school year, many students and staff have been told to remain at home under preventative measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Some have received the dreadful and anxiety-provoking message alerting them to quarantine when they have been exposed to a positive COVID-19 case and others have been told to quarantine when returning from a visit to another state. But is this quarantining period, specifically in length, sufficient enough to stop the spread? Are some people being placed into quarantine when it is not necessary?
The CDC suggests that an individual stay home for 14-days after their last contact with a person who has COVID-19. This period of time helps prevent spread of disease that occurs before a person knows they are sick or if they are asymptomatic.
I have conflicting opinions on the sufficiency of this quarantining period. To me, the 14-day period of quarantine after being exposed to the virus appears essential to stopping the spread, especially since our desks are now three feet apart. I have noticed a growing stigma around the virus and how many fear to go around those who have been infected. However, per guidance of the CDC, this 2 week period allows enough time for symptoms to appear in an individual before they return to school, and thus I do feel comfortable with this quarantining period.
On the other hand, I feel as though a 14-day quarantine for those who have left the state, in many circumstances, is unnecessary. Oftentimes when students go on vacation they are leaving to visit a place that is even safer than remaining in Needham and being around friends. One such example is when students visit grandparents in other states. It is likely that remaining masked with a grandparent in a different state is less risky than going to school everyday with hundreds of peers. This past winter, I visited New Hampshire where I went hiking alongside my family. From personal experience, I can say with confidence that despite being in a different state, which may carry different strains of the virus, I was still safer than back in Needham. Many COVID tests are covered by insurance only if the patient has been exposed to the virus, so when students like me return from a secluded location, they are forced to either pay over $100 for a COVID test or bear the burden of a 14-day quarantine. Although many travel with extreme caution, there are still those who are leaving the state and surrounding themselves with strangers carrying foreign germs. Perhaps the school should rely on student’s and parent’s own integrity in deciding whether a quarantine period is necessary.
Junior Madison Mathias, she displayed her thoughts regarding the policy. Similar to my thoughts, Mathias notes, “I feel comfortable around students that have completed their quarantine period. The science behind covid is always changing; scientists and the cdc are trying their best to keep us safe and healthy, so I think it's best that we trust their judgement with the length of the period.” However, Mathias also mentions that long quarantine periods cause many students to struggle without the “structure and social interaction that comes with being in school for something they cannot control.”
It is difficult to find the balance between taking preventative measures with quarantine and allowing students to learn in an in person model with social interaction. In my judgment, the quarenting period, in its length of 14-days, is necessary to prevent the spread of the virus to those who have been exposed. It follows suggestions from the CDC and the only way to ensure that those who have been infected are unable to spread it to others, particularly students or staff that are immunocompromised. However, I imagine that policy should be reconsidered when deciding who needs to actually quarantine.
For information regarding the Needham Public School district’s current quarantining policy use this link: http://www.needham.k12.ma.us/Error.aspx?aspxerrorpath=/departments/superintendent_s_office/plans_for_reopening_our_schools/f_a_qs_for_families
For resources from the CDC visit this link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/quarantine.html