Good evening,

Effective Monday, January 10, Turlock Unified School District will be transitioning to new California Department of Public Health (CDPH) isolation guidance for students and staff who have tested positive for COVID-19. At this time, CDPH has not made any changes to the K-12 schools guidance for quarantine but we anticipate changes coming soon. What does this mean for your student in TUSD?

Positive for COVID-19 (regardless of vaccination status):

• Stay home for at least 5 days from symptom onset or test positive date
• End isolation after day 5 if symptoms are not present or are resolving and your student has a negative COVID-19 rapid test collected on day 5 or later
• If unable to test, end isolation after day 10 if symptoms (including fever) are not present.
• Wear a well-fitting mask around others for a total of 10 days, especially in indoor settings

TUSD will require that students and staff get a medically verified rapid test (not an over-the-counter home test) in order to shorten the isolation period. We will be sharing helpful information soon about the opportunity for a positive student to rapid test in TUSD starting the week of January 18 in order to shorten their isolation period.

It is important to understand that, according to Stanislaus County Health Services Agency (SCHSA), it will likely be the exception, not the rule to have a negative rapid test on day 5 to shorten an isolation period, especially if symptoms have not improved and/or someone is unvaccinated.

The CDPH strongly encourages COVID-19 vaccination and a booster. Quarantine options for students may vary when the new guidance is released for those vaccinated students who have not yet received a booster, especially if over 18.  You can find more information on how to get vaccinated on the SCHSA website http://schsa.org/coronavirus/vaccine/.

Note: Those students who are currently in isolation under old guidance are eligible for new guidance as well. Please contact covidtesting@turlock.k12.ca.us if you need help determining when your student should test. Please send the following information:

Student Name:
School:
Date of Symptom Onset:
Date of Positive Test:

If you have any questions, please contact Chief Communication Coordinator Marie Russell at mrussell@turlock.k12.ca.us or (209) 667-0632 Ext 2004.

Sincerely,

Marie Russell
Chief Communication Coordinator

Anyone can have mild to severe symptoms. Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness.

Watch for symptoms: People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. With the Omicron, variant, this timeframe is shorter. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

This list does not include all possible symptoms. CDC will continue to update this list as we learn more about COVID-19.

Isolation is for people who are already sick. It separates sick people with a contagious disease from people who are not sick.

Quarantine is for people who are not sick, but may have been exposed. It separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick.