COLUMBUS, Ohio — While the state previously followed the CDC recommendation that any close contacts of someone who tests positive for COVID-19 should quarantine for 14 days, Gov. Mike DeWine issued new guidance when it comes to students.
DeWine said that the state is no longer recommending that K-12 students quarantine after being exposed to another student in the classroom who tests positive for COVID-19, so long as the students were wearing masks and were only in the classroom with the positive student.
The recommendation does not include athletes or other students that participate in after-school activities.
According to university studies, there has been no discernible difference in the incidence rate among students who were and were not exposed to COVID-19 in a classroom setting, according to Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, the Chief Medical Officer with the Ohio Department of Health. Both groups hovered around a 3% infection rate.
Earlier this year, we pledged to look at the rate of COVID transmission in schools. Prelim results from Ohio Schools COVID-19 Evaluation Team found if students in class are masked/distanced, they did not have an increased risk of catching the virus from a nearby positive student. pic.twitter.com/zjVNo7MwiX
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) December 30, 2020
DeWine said that the new recommendation should allow more students to be able to return to the classroom full-time.
Last week, the governor announced plans to vaccinate all adults that work in a school setting, including teachers, bus drivers and custodians.
His goal is for students to be able to return to in-person education by March 1.
RELATED: Ohioans over 65, school staff will be included in next round of vaccinations, Gov. DeWine says
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Click here for a page with resources including a COVID-19 overview from the CDC, details on cases in Ohio, a timeline of Governor Mike DeWine's orders since the outbreak, coronavirus' impact on Northeast Ohio, and link to more information from the Ohio Department of Health, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, the CDC and the WHO.
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The CDC and the Ohio Department of Health are now recommending the use of cloth face coverings in public to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Read more about the CDC's recommendation here. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make a face maskfrom common household materials, without having to know how to sew.
View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.
