FILE PHOTO — Desks are separated by six feet to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 at Winlock Miller Elementary School.
Lewis County officials are recommending that schools stick to 14-day quarantine periods despite new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines that allow for shorter quarantines in some situations. The recommendations come from the county’s Schools Workgroup, composed of superintendents, health care workers and public health officials, which has been meeting for months to help reopen local schools during the pandemic.
Earlier this month, the CDC changed its guidance, saying those exposed to COVID-19 can end their quarantine after 10 days if no symptoms emerge, or seven days if they test negatively on or after the fifth day or quarantine. According to the CDC, the shorter quarantine options “will reduce the burden and may increase community compliance.” But the agency also noted that “any option to shorten quarantine risks being
less effective than the currently recommended 14-day quarantine” — and that local public authorities make the final call.
“It’s great that we’re looking at more options. That has also, like everything else, created more complication and complicated decision-making around when someone’s quarantine can end,” Public Health Director J.P. Anderson said Wednesday.
Given the risks of shorter quarantine periods, as well as the county’s messaging that reopening schools is a priority during the pandemic, the workgroup and Health Officer Dr. Rachel Wood are still recommending that schools adhere to the longer quarantine guidance.
“We want to really be cautious as we continue to support in-person instruction, as the community does see these increased numbers,” Anderson said.
Centralia Superintendent Dr. Lisa Grant said the decision on how long to quarantine students and staff is a balancing act.
“We want children in school, and when they have to quarantine, they’re missing school if they’re in the hybrid model. But we also want to limit exposure,” Grant said.
As of Dec. 1, the district has seen four positive cases in students, none of which were linked to exposure at school. Four staffers have also been diagnosed with COVID-19. As far as quarantining people, Grant says the district does it “regularly.” In total, 48 students and seven staff have been asked to quarantine. Some students are quarantined due to a parent testing positive or showing symptoms. Others have been sent home if they show minor symptoms, which are monitored until they go away, per the county’s guidelines.
“If there’s one symptom you have, we’re tracking that. And if you have siblings that live in your same household, they’re going (home) with you,” Grant said. “Just to be safe.”
According to a press release from Lewis County Public Health and Social Services, the Schools Workgroup will reevaluate the guidance once schools resume after holiday breaks.
At his Wednesday update, Anderson also noted that the decision was made against a backdrop of a high rate of community transmission. Only in the last few weeks has Lewis County’s weekly case counts hit triple digits. This week, the county announced more than 100 new cases in just two days, and Anderson reported a significant increase in demand for COVID-19 testing, although he said test availability is not an issue.
While Olympia’s Providence St. Peter Hospital — where some of Lewis County’s severe COVID-19 cases are sent for care — is now limiting surgeries, Angela Maki, a regional Providence spokesperson, said Providence Centralia Hospital is not at that point yet. A committee at St. Peter Hospital is reviewing the urgency of surgeries that require a hospital bed, and a similar committee at Providence Centralia is monitoring COVID-19 statistics to evaluate if restrictions on non-emergency surgeries will be necessary in order to preserve capacity for COVID-19 patients.
