COVID is still spreading in Santa Clara County. Persons with symptoms should self-quarantine immediately pending the test results because COVID-19 is very contagious. That individual should also separate themselves from everyone in their household, so they do not transmit the virus to any family members in the home. They should wear a mask and social distance if they must be in the same room as a household member. Follow hand hygiene recommendations and avoid sharing any personal items.

• Look for symptoms BEFORE coming to work or school.
• STAY HOME if you are experiencing any of the symptoms (regardless of vaccination status) and report your absence to your school attendance office. 
  • SVCTE and SVAE
• People with ANY ONE of these symptoms MAY have COVID-19:
  • Fever or chills
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle or body aches
  • Headache
  • New loss of taste or smell
  • Sore throat
  • Congestion or runny nose
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Diarrhea
• Additionally, if symptoms are concerning COVID-19, it is strongly recommended that students and staff wear a mask and get tested immediately.
• Notify us if you have COVID-19 and were on school grounds during the infectious period (48 hours before symptoms showed or a positive test).
• Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. We are contagious 48 hours before symptoms appear. 
• If symptoms continue to appear after a negative test, test again in 24-48 hours.
• Testing remains a key mitigation layer to detect and curb transmission of COVID-19. 
• MetroED, SVAE and SVCTE follow the State of California Health and Human Services Agency Testing Framework for K–12 Schools for the 2022–2023 School Year (Senate Bill 1479)
• Employees submit a sick absence on Frontline, AND report symptoms to covidliaison@metroed.net , then wait for further instructions. 
• Follow the decision tree  English | Spanish | Vietnamese |
• Students or employees who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or who are identified as close contact with someone who has tested positive can obtain an at-home rapid antigen test kit and directions on how to administer it. 
• CDPH recommends that antigen tests be considered the primary option for detecting COVID-19 in schools, compared to PCR tests. For more information, see the Testing Framework for K–12 Schools.
• Due to the increased travel and social interactions that often occur during school breaks, it is recommended that SVAE and SVCTE students and staff and district staff get tested for COVID-19 prior to returning to school following major breaks (e.g., summer, winter, spring).
• Students and employees can obtain a rapid antigen test kit from their school or Human Resources. 
• If you or anyone in your household has COVID-19 symptoms, it is important to test for COVID-19 as soon as possible. Stay home and continue to test. It can take a few days for a positive result. You can get a negative result and test positive a day or two later.
• All cases and close contracts follow the guidelines for COVID-19
  • For more information, read below
• Send your test result to covidliaison@metroed.net. Wait to return to school or work until ALL the guidelines have been met.
• Employees must wait to return until they have instructions from the Director of Human Resources, Lisa Ketchum

K-12 schools are encouraged to develop standard criteria for managing staff and students who develop symptoms of infectious diseases, including COVID-19.

The following guidance applies to ALL students and staff, regardless of vaccination status.

• Test: Get tested right away. Antigen tests are preferred, especially for anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 90 days.

• Isolate: Do not attend school. Remain in isolation while waiting for test results. If not tested, continue isolating for 10 days after the day of symptom onset. If the staff/student cannot isolate away from others at home, they should wear a well-fitting mask for 10 days when around others.

For more information, see CDPH’s Guidance for Local Health Jurisdictions on Isolation and Quarantine of the General Public or talk to your school district.

NOTE: California requires employers to provide COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave for most workers through September 30, 2022. This includes circumstances in which workers are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and seeking a medical diagnosis, attending a vaccine appointment for themselves or for a family member, and/or if a worker's child is isolating due to COVID-19 infection.

Close contact: Someone sharing the same indoor airspace, e.g., home, clinic waiting room, airplane etc., for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period (for example, three individual 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes) during an infected person's (laboratory-confirmed or a clinical diagnosis) infectious period.

The following guidance applies to ALL students and staff, regardless of vaccination status.

• Test: All asymptomatic exposed students and staff should get tested 3-5 days after their last exposure, unless they have had COVID-19 in the last 90 days. Symptomatic contacts should isolate and get tested immediately.

• Monitor symptoms: If they do not have COVID-19 symptoms, students or staff exposed to COVID-19 do NOT need to isolate. If symptoms develop, students and staff exposed to COVID-19 should stay home.

• Return: Refer to the COVID-19 Decision Tree for TK-12 and Childcare (translations pending) for guidance on return to school. Additionally, students should follow their school district’s policies for managing exposures in school. Staff should refer to the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards for additional requirements.

• Mask: Staff MUST and students SHOULD mask whenever near others for a full 10 days after their exposure.

• Notify: Schools are strongly recommended to use the Group Tracing Approach for notifying students of COVID-19 exposure.

For more information, refer to CDPH’s Guidance for Local Health Jurisdictions on Isolation and Quarantine of the General Public or talk to your school district.

The following guidance applies to ALL students and staff, regardless of vaccination status.

• Isolate: Stay home for at least 5 days after the start of symptoms (or after date of first positive test if asymptomatic).

• Test: A negative test collected on or after Day 5 is needed to end isolation. If the student/staff is unable to test or chooses not to test, or if they test positive on Days 5-10, then isolation can end AFTER Day 10 if fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.

• Monitor symptoms: If fever is present, isolation should continue until 24 hours after fever resolves without the use of fever-reducing medications. If other symptoms are not resolving, continue to isolate until symptoms are resolving or until Day 11.

• Mask: Staff MUST and students SHOULD wear a mask when around others for a full 10 days after positive test.

• Treat: If symptoms are severe, or if the infected person is at high risk of serious disease, or if they have questions concerning care, infected persons should contact their healthcare provider for available treatments.

See CDPH’s Guidance for Local Health Jurisdictions on Isolation and Quarantine of the General Public or talk to your school district for more information about how to respond to a student or staff member testing positive.

NOTE: California requires employers to provide COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave for most workers through September 30, 2022. This includes circumstances in which workers are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and seeking a medical diagnosis, attending a vaccine appointment for themselves or for a family member, and/or if a worker's child is isolating due to COVID-19 infection

• Refer to CDPH’s Safe Schools for All Hub for key resources and information to support in-person learning in K-12 schools

• View the COVID-19 Decision Tree for TK-12 and Childcare

• The State of California’s Safe Schools for All Parent Page includes resources on testing, vaccine and mask safety, and childcare, and information on Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). 
• For current CDPH guidance for K-12 schools (updated 6/30/22) click here.
• Guidance for TK-12
• FAQs for TK-12 and Programs Serving Children or Youth

• NEW July 1, 2022 K12 Guidance 2022/2023
• Guidance for Child Care Providers and Programs [Updated 2/18/2022]
• K-12 Guidance 2021-22 School Year (ca.gov)
• K-12 Schools Guidance 2021-2022 Questions & Answers (ca.gov)
• Requirement for Universal Masking Indoors at K-12 Schools (ca.gov)
• Order of the State Public Health Officer Vaccine Verification for Workers in Schools
• Public Health Order Questions & Answers: Vaccine Verification for Workers in Schools

• NEW June 2022: School Testing Framework for 2022/23
• NEW June 2022: School Testing FAQ document
• School Testing | California Coronavirus Testing Task Force
• RAPID ANTIGEN Testing Program Onboarding Form for California K-12 Schools (office.com)
• Over-The-Counter-Tests-LHJ-Guidance (ca.gov)
• Updated COVID-19 Testing Guidance (ca.gov)
• School Outbreak Response Teams (ca.gov)

• Check the current level of COVID cases in the county to determine the masking recommendations
• Requirement for Universal Masking Indoors at K-12 Schools (ca.gov)
• CDPH Face Covering Guidance
• Face Coverings Q&A
• Get the Most Out of Masking
• Masks for Kids: Tips and Resources (ca.gov)
• Masking for Kids January-2022 (ca.gov)
• Masks - Coronavirus COVID-19 Response (ca.gov)

For the latest information on where children 6 months and older can be vaccinated or how to schedule an appointment, please visit sccfreevax.org. This is the County’s official source for vaccine-related information and is updated frequently.
 
Information on the State of California’s COVID-19 vaccination guidance and prioritization plan is also available.

Contagious

When the person who is infected can give the virus to others.

A person with COVID-19 is considered contagious 2 days before their symptoms start until at least 10 days later, fever is gone 24 hours, and symptoms have improved.

If a person with COVID-19 has no symptoms, they are considered contagious 2 days before their positive test until 10 days after the positive test.

If a person who was initially asymptomatic develops symptoms after testing positive, the contagious period should be considered as two days before the test date and is extended to ten days after the onset of symptoms.

Close Contact

Anyone who stayed within 6 feet of someone with COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes over the course of a day. People should be considered close contacts when the program is reasonably sure that they spent at least 15 minutes within 6 feet of the infected person during the course of 24 hours. People are not considered close contacts simply because they were in the same group or cohort.

Buses will be considered an "outdoor" environment when identifying close contacts if all COVID-19 safety protocols, including masking and open windows, are in place.

Quarantine

Quarantine is used to keep people who have been exposed to COVID-19 away from others while they may be contagious. After someone has been exposed to COVID-19, they must stay home and away from other people for a recommended period after their last exposure, until they meet the criteria to return from quarantine. Close contacts who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or had COVID-19 within the previous 3 months, do not have to quarantine after close contact with someone with COVID-19, as long as they are asymptomatic. 

 Isolation

Isolation is used to keep people who are infected away from others while they are contagious. This is usually 5-10 days after COVID-19 symptoms appeared or after they test positive.

We aim to prevent the spread of infection with enhanced protocols, reconfigured campus spaces, and careful control of campus access. We have been taking steps to respond to your needs. For COVID-19 questions or concerns, please email covidliaison@metroed.net or call (408) 723-4245.