Dept. of Health lifts universal contact tracing requirement
The Ohio Department of Health on Wednesday informed Ohio’s school districts that they may immediately discontinue universal contact tracing of new COVID-19 cases.
Ohio’s K-12 schools will continue to follow the “Mask to Stay, Test to Play” protocol and allow asymptomatic students to attend school while wearing a mask if they have been exposed to someone with COVID-19.
The ODH and the Clermont County Health Department have now moved from universal contact tracing to a cluster- or outbreak-based model. This will mean a change in the way Milford Schools communicate with families regarding the occurrence of COVID in our schools.
Families will only be notified of new COVID-19 cases if there is a positive case in a classroom. This communication will be similar to the notification that families receive for other communicable diseases.
Students and staff are still required to report a positive case to their school nurse. Milford Schools’ COVID-19 dashboard will continue to be updated on a daily basis with case data. This flow chart will help you know how to proceed after testing positive for COVID-19, or being exposed to someone who has COVID-19.
The Clermont County Health Department related to superintendents on Thursday that vaccination rates are high in the county, COVID-19 is no longer a “novel” virus, and the Health Department is moving from pandemic model to an endemic model.
It is still important to be vigilant against the spread of COVID-19 and to stay home if you are sick.
