AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Education Agency on Friday released new quarantine guidance for school staff who have COVID-19 or have been in close contact with someone who does.
TEA officials said school employees may return when:
- If symptomatic, at least five days have passed since symptom onset and fever free, and other symptoms have improved.
- For those with no symptoms, at least five days after the day they tested positive.
“Fever free” means without a fever of 100 degrees or higher for at least 24 hours without the help of medication. This is based on recent recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The TEA said staff who have been in close contact with a COVID-19-positive person and are in one of the following groups do not need to stay at home:
- 18 or older and have received all recommended vaccine doses, including boosters
- Was confirmed COVID-19 positive within the last 90 days and has fully recovered.
For staff members who have been in close contact and don’t meet the criteria above, the TEA recommends the district to require that person to stay off campus during the stay-at-home period but emphasizes this is up to local school officials. If these staff members continue to work on campus, rapid testing must be done periodically for five days post-exposure, with testing on the fifth day recommended.
There is no change to the quarantine period for students at this time, but in a call with superintendents Friday, the TEA commissioner said districts should expect more updates to the student part of the quarantine guidance soon.
