Uintah School District provided a district update on Friday sharing some “good news” concerning state quarantine guidelines. Governor Gary Herbert has announced that when school resumes on January 4th, those who have close contact at school with another individual who tests positive for COVID-19 will not be required to quarantine if both individuals were wearing masks at the time of contact. “Those who test positive for the virus will still need to quarantine at home,” explains Uintah School District. “Anyone who wasn’t wearing a mask when they were in close contact with someone who tested positive will also need to quarantine. The change is based on data that shows classrooms are a low-risk environment for COVID-19 transmission. Only about 1 percent of students who have quarantined after a potential exposure at school have gone on to test positive for the disease, according to state officials. The mask mandate for K-12 schools will be extended until at least January 21st, to allow state leaders to assess the effectiveness of the quarantine and testing changes.” Another change came from the Utah Department of Health. Starting in January, schools with more than 1,500 students will only be recommended to move to remote learning if more than 1 percent of the student body tests positive for COVID-19. In Uintah School District this only applies to Uintah High School. For schools under 1,500 students, the recommendation remains at 15 but there will be the option for a school to have a “test to stay” option. In this option, everyone in the school can receive a rapid antigen test and those who test negative can continue in-person instruction. Based on current trends and the new changes, the Uintah School District shared that they are confident that they will be able to open all schools for 100 percent in-person attendance after Christmas break.
