NJ COVID Cases Rise To 'High' Level, First Time Since Spring

NEW JERSEY — New Jersey may be getting an orange Christmas, and that could cause challenges for keeping kids and staff in schools. For the first time since last spring, New Jersey's color-coded map that tracks COVID-19 transmission turned all orange, indicating "high" levels of COVID activity in all 21 counties.

A county's elevation to high-risk status triggers stricter protocols for schools, including an increase of quarantine times.

When a county only has "low" or "moderate" coronavirus activity, close contacts only had to quarantine for seven days if they tested negative or 10 days if they didn't test at all.

The high-risk label puts quarantine times at 14 days for those who test positive for COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status, and for unvaccinated individuals identified as close contacts.

Fully vaccinated close contacts who show no COVID-like symptoms do not need to quarantine. But the CDC recommends they get tested three to five days after exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.

There is one color category above orange on New Jersey's COVID-19 map: red, for "very high" activity levels. Last year, a county's move to red meant its schools would go fully remote. This school year, the guidelines for the red zone only say that "further recommendations will be based on additional circumstances and available resources at that time."

New Jersey elevated 10 counties from "moderate" to "high" COVID risk: Warren, Sussex, Morris, Passaic, Beren, Essex, Hudson, Cumberland, Atlantic and Cape May. All others were already in the high-risk category.

State officials have reported 294 COVID outbreaks in schools this year, including 47 in one week in early December. Outbreaks include instances of three or more confirmed COVID-19 cases among students or staff with onsets within a 14-day period, who are linked within a school setting and don't share a household.

The number of COVID-19 in-patients in New Jersey hospitals continues to steadily increase. The New Jersey Department of Health reported 1,730 as of Tuesday — the highest total since April 27. But at that time last year, when COVID-19 vaccines were just becoming available, New Jersey had 3,660 COVID in-patients in hospitals.