Here’s how the SC DHEC will handle COVID quarantining and masks for schools this year

Students, teachers and staff can avoid quarantining from school due to COVID-19 exposure as long as there are no active outbreaks, state health officials say.

As the new school year begins in South Carolina this week, the Department of Health and Environmental Control has released its latest guidance on COVID-19 for students, teachers and administrators. While certain quarantine requirements have been reduced, those who are sick with COVID-19 or test positive must continue to isolate, meaning they must stay at home, the DHEC states.

Classrooms in South Carolina have struggled the last two years as the COVID-19 pandemic has forced students to learn virtually and constantly be out of school due to cases and close contacts.

“DHEC’s goal is to support schools in providing the safest and least restrictive learning environment possible while keeping everyone safe,” Dr. Brannon Traxler, DHEC Public Health director, said in a press release. “We recognize that every community is different and may have different transmission levels of COVID-19, so it is important for districts to make the best decision for their individual schools.”

Cases of COVID-19 spiked in South Carolina over the summer and the department’s goal is to have people take steps to ensure that doesn’t carry over into classrooms as students return.

All of DHEC’s updates include:

• Schools and childcare centers are encouraged to follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) during non-outbreak periods.

• Parents are urged to vaccinate their children against COVID-19.

• DHEC will no longer require close contacts to quarantine during times when there are no active outbreaks, but those who are sick with COVID-19 or test positive must continue to isolate, meaning they must stay at home.

• Schools can take advantage of several options to test for COVID-19.

• Schools and childcare centers are urged to follow updated DHEC guidelines during outbreaks.

While DHEC will no longer require people who have come into close contact with someone who has COVID-19 to quarantine during non-outbreak periods, the agency is recommending that schools and childcare centers follow CDC guidance for quarantine, masking, vaccination, testing, etc. The CDC recommends quarantine for close contacts. Those who have COVID-19 or test positive still must stay at home, regardless of the severity of their symptoms.

According to the 2022-2023 School and Childcare Exclusion List, those who isolate (people who are sick or test positive) can only return to school if:

• It has been at least five days since symptoms started and 24 hours since the last fever (without using fever-reducing meds.),

• Symptoms are significantly improving, and

• A mask must be worn days six to 10 unless the person tests negative on two rapid antigen tests performed on days six and eight, then they may remove the mask after the negative test on day eight.

Here is DHEC guidance concerning outbreaks.

• It is considered an outbreak when 20% or more children plus staff in a shared setting – such as a classroom, childcare room, sports team with more than five people – are diagnosed with or absent/sent home due to COVID-19 within 72 hours of each other.

• Outbreaks are required to be reported to DHEC.

For more information, visit DHEC’s updated school and childcare webpage page. Visit the DHEC website or the CDC website for more about COVID-19.