DHEC changes quarantine rules for educators to keep teachers in classrooms
Unvaccinated South Carolina teachers who are exposed to COVID-19 won’t be required to quarantine if they don’t show symptoms while their school is in a critical staffing shortage, the state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control announced Sunday.
“This action is being taken to alleviate school staff shortages in communities with significant outbreaks and is in keeping with the latest understanding and analysis of the risks and benefits,” the department said in a release. “This change will allow more schools to continue providing in-person education for students when they otherwise could not maintain operations due to staffing and would have to close.”
The state previously required teachers who had not received a complete round of vaccines plus a booster shot to “complete quarantine” before they could return to work, meaning they would need to quarantine for 10 days even if they had no symptoms.
Now those teachers won’t need to quarantine if their school is in a ”crisis staffing” situation. DHEC says that’s when a school is unable to maintain operations due to staffing shortages and would need to otherwise close.
Those who are exposed and not fully vaccinated but asymptomatic will still need to test negative for the virus five days after their exposure, and will be required to wear a mask for 10 days following exposure.
The shift comes as school districts across the Midlands and elsewhere in South Carolina shift classes online to contend with staff absences brought on by COVID-19 infections and exposures.
South Carolina is currently reporting a record number of COVID-19 infections, driven by the omicron variant. Friday, the state reported more than 19,400 cases — the most new cases in a single day since the pandemic arrived. The omicron variant accounted for 100% of coronavirus strains identified in South Carolina during the week that ended Jan. 8.
