Coronavirus Awareness + Schoolhouse Updates

New Quarantine, Isolation, and Mask Requirements

As the Omicron variant continues to spread and guidance from the CDC and LA County are occasionally at odds, we have adopted new quarantine, isolation, and masking requirements for our community. Please see below.

IF YOU HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO A POSITIVE CASE OF COVID-19:

AT SCHOOL or OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL

• If you were exposed to a positive case of Covid-19 you may undergo a modified quarantine and continue to attend school for in-person instruction if they :

  • Are asymptomatic.

  • Continue to appropriately mask (KN95,N95 or KF94 masks) for 10 days after exposure.

  • Undergo testing on DAY 1 through DAY 5 after exposure and test negative. Both PCR and FDA Approved Rapid Antigen tests are acceptable. Please send your results to elizabeth@hshla.org.

  • Quarantine for ALL extracurricular activities including, but not limited to - sports, after school care, school musical or any activities within the community setting. We strongly recommend you also quarantine from any social activities outside of school during this time in order to protect the wider community.

• If a student is exposed to a positive case in their home, whether VACCINATED or UNVACCINATED, they may come to school while adhering to the protocols outlined above.

For all exposures please remain at home if you begin to experience any symptoms of Covid-19.

IF YOU TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID-19:

• Stay home for at least FIVE DAYS after the onset of symptoms or after you tested positive, even if you have no symptoms.

• TEST ON THE FIFTH DAY.

• We recommend getting a RAPID ANTIGEN TEST for this purpose as PCR tests are so sensitive they can show a positive test result for several months, long after you have stopped being contagious.

• If the test shows you are negative, and you have no symptoms or symptoms that are resolving you may return to school.

• If you can’t get a test or choose not to test, you can exit isolation AFTER THE TENTH DAY, as long as you have no symptoms or the symptoms are resolving.

• If a fever remains present, stay isolated until the fever resolves. You must be fever free for 24 hours to return to school.

• Wear a well-fitting mask around other people for 10 days, especially indoors.

What does it mean to isolate?

If you live with roommates or family, try to separate yourself from other people (and animals) as much as possible. “Wall yourself up in a cocoon.”

Isolating in a home with other people may be difficult, but do the best you can. That means staying in your room, away from other members of the household, even for meals. Someone should deliver food to your bedroom door if possible. If the home has more than one bathroom, designate one just for the infected person. If the infected person is a child or older person who needs assistance, both the caregiver and the infected person should wear a mask when the caregiver enters the room, and open the windows if possible.

If others are in the house, always wear a high-quality mask when you leave your room. Everyone should mask up in shared spaces. After using a shared bathroom, disinfect the toilet seat and handle, as well as the faucet handles, soap dispenser, counter and light switch. Close the lid before you flush, and turn on the exhaust fan. Open windows to improve ventilation in shared areas.

The people living in your household should take precautions, but they don’t need to panic about getting infected too, especially if they’re vaccinated and boosted. “The household rate of contracting Covid from someone is not 100 percent by a long shot, even with the more transmissible variants,” said Dr. Paul Sax, an infectious disease expert at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and professor at Harvard Medical School.

While it can help incrementally to continue to wipe down shared spaces, “the most important thing is keeping people from breathing air that is filled with germs.” If you have a HEPA air cleaner, place it in or outside your bedroom.

• Stay home except to get medical care.

• Get food delivered to you or have someone drop off food.

• Don’t have visitors.

• Wear a face covering around others, including family members and housemates.

• Disinfect a shared bathroom after each use, or use a separate bathroom if possible.

• Open windows if you must be in a shared space.

• Stay at least six feet away from other people, especially higher-risk people such as those 65 and older; are severely overweight; have a chronic disease such as cancer, diabetes and heart or lung disease; or have a weak immune system.

MASKS:

We know that choosing the right mask can feel daunting with so many options on the market, some of them of questionable legitimacy. Our Task Force Doctors have issued the following guidance to help you make the right choice:

1. Wear a surgical mask or higher grade mask such as N95, KN95 or KF94.

2. Search for a multi layered mask from a reputable company.

3. Beware of phony masks being sold on well known internet sites. Where possible try to always go to verified manufacturer’s sites. Project N95 is a great resource for discerning which mask companies are reputable: project n95 Kids guide.

4. Try shopping for N95’s using the following link: https://shop.projectn95.org/kids-guide

Additionally, here are some recommendations for masks other than N95/KN95:

Vida – FDA Listed KF94 Mask (Made in S. Korea)

Vida – FDA Listed Kids Mask with KN95 Protection (Made in USA)

Vida – FDA listed X-Small with 94% Efficiency (Made in USA)

Vida – FDA Listed Kids 4-Ply Mask (Made in USA) ASTM level 3

Happy Masks – Pro Series: 5 layers, including a 3-ply nanofiber membrane filter, 99.9% filtration against viruses, bacteria, pollen, air pollution, smoke, and other pollutants

Happy Masks – Ultra Series: Same protection and comfort as the Pro Series, with an extra-durable nose wire and a more structured inner support layer to better withstand wear and tear.

Enro – advanced PM0.1 filter, 98.5% protection, antimicrobial finish (designed USA/HK and made in Vietnam)

Read more about the efficacy of these types of masks here.