COVID Isolation Rules Changed For NJ Schools

NEW JERSEY — New Jersey K-12 schools can now cut the recommended time for isolation and quarantine time, the New Jersey Department Of Health announced Wednesday night.

Recommended isolation time was slashed from 10 days for people with COVID-19 to 5 days, if asymptomatic, followed by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others for New Jersey schools. This reflects the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC)'s guidance announced on Dec. 27. Read More: CDC Shortens Isolation, Quarantine Time: What It Means In NJ

"We know that students benefit from in-person learning, and safely continuing in-person instruction remains a priority," said Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli. "These recommendations will help local health departments and schools in handling COVID-19 cases and exposures among students and staff to ensure healthy outcomes for all."

The updated recommendations also offer additional measures schools can take in regions with very-high COVID-19 community transmission.

Those recommendations include:

• Limit participation in extracurricular activities to those students and staff who are up to date with COVID-19 vaccination per Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations.
• Conduct COVID-19 screening testing of students and staff, regardless of vaccination status, twice weekly for participation in all extracurricular activities.

However, these changes are only in effect for K-12 schools and do not apply to childcare settings. See NJDOH's updated guidance here.

As of Friday, Jan. 4, all 21 counties in New Jersey were in the "red" zone for coronavirus, meaning they are all experiencing "very high" levels of coronavirus spread. Read More: 'Very High' COVID Spread In All 21 NJ Counties: CDC

Additionally, under the updated guidance, anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 should stay home and isolate for at least 5 full days. Those without symptoms and those for whom symptoms have improved can end isolation after 5 days, but a mask should be worn for days 6 to 10, according to NJDOH.

For those in quarantine — that have been exposed but not sick or testing positive — should stay home and away from other people for at least 5 days. If COVID-19 symptoms develop, those in quarantine should get tested and follow isolation recommendations.

If asymptomatic, those people should get tested at least 5 days after the last close contact and if the test is positive, follow isolation recommendations. If the test is negative, quarantine can be ended after day five, but a mask should be worn for days six to 10, according to NJDOH.

The CDC's guidance change at the end of December was "motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the 1-2 days prior to onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after," according to the CDC.

As of Wednesday, New Jersey is reporting 19,454 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 103 new deaths.

There were also four new reported school outbreaks. In total schools have reported 388 outbreaks since the beginning of the school year linked to 2,255 cases.

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