New York, N.Y. (WBEN) - New COVID-19 guidelines for the 2022-23 school year have been issued for districts across New York State, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Monday.
With many schools returning to the classroom in the next couple of weeks, Hochul says she wanted to make sure that parents and schools were made aware of where the state sits with addressing COVID-19 concerns before class returns to session.
"We had a lot of rules last year - social distancing, quarantine after exposure, 'Test-to-Stay' - there was a lot of rules that parents and teachers and administrators had to be familiar with. It was confusing, very frustrating, stressful, the fear of the unknown because this was the first fall when our expectation was that everybody went back to school. And so because parents - we know our primary responsibility is to protect the health of our children - I want parents to know as Governor, I share in that responsibility. It is my responsibility to do everything I can to protect your families as well," said Gov. Hochul on Monday during a COVID-19 briefing in New York City.
However, compared to preparations for the 2021-22 school year, Hochul is grateful that it's a much different scenario and different landscape this upcoming year.
"[It's] expected to be a much, much easier year for parents and for schools," Gov. Hochul said when it came to COVID-19 guidelines.
It was back on Aug. 11 when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidelines for COVID-19. This included the CDC dropping the recommendation that Americans should quarantine themselves if they come into close contact with an infected person. The CDC also said people are no longer needed to stay, at least, six feet away from others.
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Gov. Hochul and the Department of Health and the State Education Department have been analyzing the new relaxed guidance from the CDC, and they want to be fully aligned with the CDC when it comes to guidelines for schools.
"The big news is no more quarantining, no more 'Test-to-Stay', and the days of sending an entire classroom home because one person was symptomatic or tested positive, those days are over," Gov. Hochul said. "We've been through that experiment, no longer are we going to be sending kids home, keeping them away from that essential experience of being together in a classroom, because we are now still dealing with the fallout of those decisions made when we had less information. There was concern in classrooms, but we now have two years of experience to know that children are safe in classrooms, and when they're not in a classroom and the learning stops, the traditional learning stops, it can be devastating for the well-being of those children.
"We're aligning ourselves with the CDC, we're getting this information out to parents and the schools, and making sure that our children are where they need to be this fall. We know there's no replacement for in-classroom learning, and we're gonna make sure that this year is a very different year."
Here are some of the COVID-19 mitigation strategies released by the Governor's Office for the 2022-2023 school year:
Quarantine
The CDC no longer recommends quarantine except in high-risk congregate settings.
- The CDC recommends that all people with a known or suspected COVID-19 exposure regardless of vaccination status or history of prior COVID-19 infection follow current CDC exposure recommendations which include wearing a well-fitting mask or respirator for a full 10-day period and getting tested at least five days after close contact or sooner if symptoms develop.
Staying Home When Sick or Symptomatic
- The CDC continues to recommend that people stay home when sick. Any student or staff member who has symptoms of respiratory or gastrointestinal infections, such as cough, fever, sore throat, vomiting, or diarrhea, should stay home.
- Testing is recommended for people with symptoms of COVID-19 as soon as possible after symptoms begin. Those who are at risk for getting very sick with COVID-19 who test positive should consult with a healthcare provider right away for possible treatment, even if their symptoms are mild.
- If an individual tests positive for COVID-19 and do not have a regular health care provider, you can be evaluated for treatment by either calling 1-888-TREAT-NY or visiting the New York State COVID-19 ExpressCare Therapeutics Access Website.
- People who are symptomatic and awaiting COVID-19 test results or have tested positive for COVID-19 should follow CDC's Isolation Guidance.
Isolation
People who have tested positive or are awaiting COVID-19 test results should remain home and follow the CDC's Isolation Guidance. Isolation may end based on how serious someone's COVID-19 symptoms were.-If someone had no symptoms, isolation may end after day five.
- If someone had symptoms, isolation may end after day five if they are fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication) and symptoms are improving.
- People should wear a mask through Day 10 after ending isolation when they are feeling better (no fever without use of fever-reducing medication and symptoms improving).
- Antigen testing is not required to end isolation; however, some schools may allow use of the "test-based strategy" to potentially shorten the length of time for post-isolation mask use.
In March, the Governor lifted the state mask requirement in schools. This decision was based on key COVID-19 data trends showing New York's significant progress in vaccinations and declining cases. It will continue to remain optional for students and staff to wear a mask in the classroom.
More from Gov. Hochul and the COVID-19 guidelines established for schools across New York State is available in the player below: