This afternoon, the Rockland County Department of Health sent local school superintendents updated quarantine guidelines which should reduce the number of students and staff impacted by mandated quarantines.
“This is a welcome and encouraging update from the Department of Health. The updated guidance will help us maintain the continuity of in-person instruction and, hopefully, reduce the need for extended, COVID-19 related school closures,” noted Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Pritchard. “I’d also like to commend our District’s contact tracing team on their extraordinary efforts. They’ve worked 24/7 since September to help keep our school community safe.”
With every reported COVID-19 case, a small team of our school nurses, social workers and administrators work around the clock–in addition to their regular duties–to quickly identify and call student and staff “contacts” to inform them of their exposure and need to quarantine. To date, they have contact traced more than 1,000 students and 199 staff and contractors this school year.