Example 1) A child is excluded for a new cough and congestion. Because cough is a class A symptom you would follow the first “Yes” arrow. A COVID test is strongly recommended. The child can return:
- after a negative COVID test provided they are 24 hours fever free without the use of medications and symptoms are improving – OR –
- after 10 days since symptoms started and they are 24 hours fever free and symptoms are improving – OR –
- after a health care provider gives an alternative diagnosis that explains ALL the symptoms and can say with relative certainty that it is not COVID-19, then the child can return after they are 24 hours fever free and symptoms improved or per the condition diagnosed by the health care provider, whichever is longer.
Example 2) A staff member is excluded for a headache on Monday afternoon. The staff member had no other symptoms at all. This is a single class (B) symptom so you would follow the first “No” arrow. The staff member remains at home on Tuesday and monitors her symptoms. Her headache was gone by mid-morning on Tuesday without the use of medications and she did not develop any additional symptoms all day. Since the headache was a single class B symptom and lasted less than 24 hours, and the staff member has had no other symptoms at all, she can return to work at the child care on Wednesday, even if no COVID test was done.
A child care facility may choose to continue the stricter guidance of excluding children and staff for 10 days for any one symptom or requiring a negative COVID-19 test to return sooner than 10 days. Following this stricter guidance as a rule is more protective during this time of relatively high transmission rates in the community.
If a child or staff member has been identified as a close contact of a positive case, they must quarantine for 14 days from the last date of exposure, even if a negative test is received.
The Keep Sick Children Home poster has been updated to complement this new guidance chart. If you have questions regarding this table or exclusion from child care, please reach out to the Child Care Health Outreach Program at 425-252-5415.
Quarantine after Travel
Governor Inslee issued a travel advisory for the State of Washington. As of Friday, November 13, “persons arriving in Washington from other states or countries, including returning Washington residents, should practice self-quarantine for 14 days after arrival. These persons should limit their interactions to their immediate household. This recommendation does not apply to individuals who cross state or country borders for essential travel.” Click here for the full media release and travel advisory.
Quarantine Period of Household Contacts
As a reminder, individuals living in the same household of a positive case need to quarantine for the full duration of the case’s isolation period plus 14 days from the end of the case’s isolation period. For guidance on calculating a case’s isolation period, click here. The household contacts living with this case would then need to quarantine for an additional 14 days after the case’s isolation period ends. You can see an illustration of this if you look at Scenario 4 on the CDC website here. The reason for this is that the family members may be exposed at any point, up to the last day of the case’s infectious period. The family members must then quarantine an additional 14 days to make sure they do not unwittingly pass the infection to others.
We recognize this may present challenges for some families to quarantine for this length of time. For employer scenarios and benefit information, click here; for paid leave information, click here. Health care workers and first responders who are close contacts should discuss their situation with their employer.
When to Get Tested
Anyone with symptoms of illness should get tested for COVID-19. Please contact your health care provider for testing. If your health care provider is unable to provide a test, the Snohomish Health District has a drive-thru testing site that is free for anyone and available by appointment. Click here for the testing schedule.
Encourage Flu Shots
Please continue to encourage influenza vaccination for staff and children. You can find information about influenza and locations to obtain flu shots on our website.
Additional Information
It is important to stay up-to-date with COVID-19 guidance. Please make sure you are signed up to receive our Health Alerts and Monthly Newsletters.
Please contact the Child Care Health Outreach Program
if you have any questions:
childcarehealth@snohd.org
425-252-5415
