On Thursday, August 5, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated guidance for K–12 schools and institutions of higher education, including considerations for people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and situations when K–12 students are not considered close contacts. The new guidance states that students, staff, and educators who have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 should receive diagnostic testing and should begin quarantine. Exceptions include:

• Someone who has been fully vaccinated and shows no symptoms of COVID-19 does not need to quarantine, but should be tested 3-5 days following a known exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 and wear a mask in public indoor settings for 14 days or until they receive a negative test result OR
• Someone who has COVID-19 illness within the previous 3 months and
• Has recovered and
• Remains without COVID-19 symptoms (for example, cough, shortness of breath)

Any close contacts who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 or who have symptoms should begin isolation regardless of vaccination status or prior infection.

To access the entire document titled Considerations for Case Investigation and Contact Tracing in K-12 Schools and Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), click here.