Health & Safety Update

By Mackenzie McCormick, FPS Coordinator of Safety & Emergency Management

COVID-19 “Close Contact” Protocols

The 2021-2022 school year has officially begun and Fargo Public Schools is excited to have students in their buildings every day. With the COVID-19 Delta variant showing an increase in cases in the Fargo-Moorhead area, FPS is monitoring cases and close contacts. The goal of FPS is to keep students and staff safe, healthy, and in school. With this goal in mind, there are a few options to remain in school if you or your student becomes a close contact to an individual testing positive for COVID-19. To qualify for the following options, the close contact must remain asymptomatic. If the close contact is having symptoms, it is recommended that the individual gets tested for COVID-19 and remains home until they no longer have symptoms.

Mask-to-Mask If the COVID-19 positive individual and the close contact are both correctly wearing an approved face mask, the close contact does not need to quarantine. The close contact should monitor themselves for symptoms.

Vaccination If the close contact is fully vaccinated at the time of exposure to the positive individual, which is defined as 14 days past the final dose of the vaccine, the close contact is not required to quarantine. This rule remains in effect for close contacts in household settings as well. The vaccinated close contact should monitor themselves for symptoms.

Students who are fully vaccinated can upload their vaccine cards into PowerSchool to use this quarantine exemption.

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© 2021 Fargo Public Schools

Health & Safety Update, continued

Unmasked If either or both the COVID-19 positive individual and the close contact were unmasked, the close contact has the following options available.

● Symptomatic: If the close contact is experiencing symptoms, the close contact is to remain home, only leaving to get tested for COVID-19, for 14 days following the exposure to the COVID-19 positive individual. If this is a household exposure, the COVID-19 positive individual must be no longer infectious before the close contact’s 14 days can begin.

● Asymptomatic:

1. No Test: If the asymptomatic close contact does not want to test for COVID-19, they are to remain home in quarantine, only leaving to receive medical care or get tested, for 10 days from the date of last exposure to the COVID-19 positive individual. If this is a household exposure, the COVID-19 positive individual must be no longer infectious before the close contact’s 10 days can begin. 2. Willing to Test Once: If the asymptomatic close contact is willing to test, they can quarantine and test on day 5 or later from last exposure to the COVID-19 positive individual and return to school on day 8. If this is a household exposure, the COVID- 19 positive individual must be no longer infectious before the close contact’s 5 days can begin. 3. Willing to Test Multiple Times: If the asymptomatic close contact is willing to submit to the FPS testing program* and test at least every other day through day 7, the close contact can remain in school and not quarantine unless they test positive.

Students willing to submit to the FPS testing program* to remain in school can have their consent form filled out in PowerSchool.

*The FPS Testing program is currently being created. Until this is up and running at our buildings, students and staff can get tested at the Fargo Cass Public Health testing site, or their healthcare provider. Negative test results must be submitted to the school in order to remain in school.

For additional information on Fargo Public School COVID-19 protocols, click here.

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