Maplewood Township: Local Health Departments Adopt Modified Quarantine Guidance

Press release from the Maplewood Township:

September 21, 2021 - 3:27pm

The Health Departments of Maplewood and South Orange have adopted the modified 7-10 days quarantine* for community exposure while the regional transmission level is in MODERATE, in order to stay consistent with the recent quarantine changes at the school district. Once the regional transmission level moves to HIGH, then the state recommendation is to return to the 14-day quarantine for both community and in school transmission and that is what Maplewood and South Orange will follow.

The purpose of a quarantine is to prevent the spread of disease in the community and stop the chain of infection; the intent is to protect others.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have followed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) guidance of a 10-day isolation for those who are COVID positive and a 14-day quarantine for those who are close contacts. Because we have been cautious, careful and stringent in our approach we have averted and prevented the further spread of COVID in the community thereby reducing the risk of illness, hospitalization and deaths.  The 14-day quarantine is still the preferred and strongly recommended quarantine guidance by the NJDOH. However, we also recognize that as society is opening up, people are returning back to work, and we are in a situation where full in-person school is the only option, the 14-day quarantine for community transmissions has been difficult and a hardship.

The modified quarantine as per the NJDOH and CDC is an “acceptable alternative” only while we are in Moderate transmission levels.  We understand that there is an increased need to go back to normal after 19 months.  However, we still must do our part in decreasing the risk of transmission in our community. While there has been substantial progress with vaccine availability for those 12 and over, this year we are facing a COVID-19 variant with a higher viral load than the original virus. This means this variant of the virus can spread faster in the community and is twice as likely to result in hospitalizations, especially among the unvaccinated population. For this reason, when the time comes that our regional transmission rate is determined to be HIGH by the NJDOH, we will return to the 14-day quarantine, and expect the public’s full cooperation and compliance.

Lastly, we ask for the community’s understanding during this time. These last 19 months have been difficult for everyone and continue to be a major challenge for those of us in public health and all healthcare settings as we have seen the number of COVID cases rise over the last two months and as COVID hospital admissions increase.  Everyone is trying their best to fulfill the mission of opening up safely and getting students back to in-person learning while still keeping the community safe. As the local health departments, we strive to serve the needs of the community, and adapt as state and federal guidance, based on science, is updated.

Curtailing the spread of COVID-19 is a community effort. Here are some ways you can do your part to decrease the risk of transmission in the community:

*The modified quarantine refers to a quarantine of 7 days from last date of exposure if tested on day 3-5 and the test result is negative. It is 10 days of quarantine if a person does not get a test.

To follow the weekly COVID-19 CALI Score Surveillance Reports and monitor the regional transmission level, go to: https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/statistics/covid/#1

Candice Davenport, RN, BSN, MPH, MCHES, HO

Health Officer, Public Health Nursing Supervisor, Health Educator

Maplewood Health Department

John M. Festa, MA

Health Officer

South Orange Health Department

This press release was produced by the Maplewood Township. The views expressed here are the author’s own.