CDC Expected To Ease School COVID Guidelines: What It Means In NJ

NEW JERSEY — COVID-19 school guidelines could be significantly relaxed by the CDC in the coming days, a new report states. Specifically, guidelines addressing screening for the virus as well as social distancing could be eased, according to CNN.

The shift in guidance, if enacted, would come after the CDC released research Thursday indicating that children and teens who have had COVID carry a greater risk for developing blood clots, heart problems, kidney failure and Type 1 diabetes. Researchers examined the electronic records of nearly 800,000 American children 17 or younger who had the virus from March 1, 2020 through Jan. 31.

Regular COVID screening in schools will likely be de-emphasized and the new measures are expected to loosen quarantine guidelines for those exposed to the virus, according to a preview of the plan obtained by CNN. The agency also reportedly plans to de-emphasize the 6-foot social distancing rule.

Instead of consistent screenings in schools, the CDC will likely suggest that testing be based on COVID community levels and on higher-risk settings, such as nursing homes and prisons. The proposed changes have been revealed to some educators and public health officials and haven't been finalized, as they are still being discussed, according to the report.

If enacted, the changes to COVID guidelines would represent a shift in last school year's policies in New Jersey. The CDC would remove guidance that students exposed to the virus could stay in the classroom if they took regular COVID tests and masked up in school. New Jersey has implemented the test-to-stay protocols.

It's tough to tell how much the changes will impact COVID testing in the state's schools. The New Jersey Department of Health currently recommends that they collaborate with local health departments to access rapid testing. The state health department's current guidance says schools should screen people to identify asymptomatic cases with no known COVID exposure.

The CDC guidance wouldn't be legally binding. States and even school districts may make different decisions. New Jersey ended its school mask mandate March 7, and only a handful of districts maintained them or brought them back during last spring's surge.

Sources told CNN that the tweaks reflect shifting public sentiment during the pandemic and a high level of underlying immunity in the population from vaccination or previous infection, which have reduced the risks of severe illness or death. But the CDC has been accused during the pandemic of caving to political pressure, rather than prioritizing public health, in its protocols.

National Nurses United — the largest union of registered nurses in the U.S. — called on the CDC to strengthen COVID protocols regarding when to implement mitigation measures, post-exposure quarantine guidance that acknowledges the risk or re-infections, isolation guidance and education on the risks of long COVID.

"We urge the CDC to immediately strengthen its Covid-19 guidance," union President Jean Ross wrote to the federal agency, "based on the available scientific evidence and the precautionary principle, to more effectively stop transmission of Covid-19 in order to protect the public’s health."

COVID-19 guidelines have varied widely even since 2020 when the pandemic began. Several states and local governments have since removed many or all restrictions.

In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp signed a law in March allowing parents to opt their children out of wearing masks at school, even in districts that mandate them. Local governments and schools in Texas and Florida have been barred from requiring masks since May 2021, when Govs. Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis signed executive orders in their respective states.

Conversely, employees and volunteers at public schools in Washington, D.C., are required to be vaccinated, with exceptions for religious beliefs or medical conditions. In California, school staff must be vaccinated or tested weekly for COVID-19.