District and School Leaders, Educators and Staff:
Please review the MSDH Public Health Guidance for the Prevention and Control of COVID-19 in K-12 Settings for the 2021-2022 school year. The guidance was issued on July 16, 2021.
Key Takeaways for the MSDH Public Health Guidance include:
- All eligible students, teachers, and staff 12 years of age and older should receive COVID-19 vaccination.
- Masks should be worn indoors in school settings by all individuals (age 2 and older) who are not fully vaccinated.
- Schools should maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance between students within classrooms, combined with indoor mask wearing by people who are not fully vaccinated, to reduce transmission risk.
- Routine Screening testing of asymptomatic unvaccinated students, teachers, and staff is recommended as a additional measure to prevent further transmission.
- Schools should continue to isolate and exclude COVID-19 infected students, teachers, and staff and continue contact tracing to identify exposed individuals for quarantine and exclusion from the school setting.
- All students, teachers, and staff who have symptoms of any infectious illness, regardless of vaccination status, should stay home from school and be evaluated by their healthcare provider.
- As a reminder, fully vaccinated students, teachers and staff:
- Do not have to wear a mask when indoors
- Do not have to quarantine or be excluded from the school setting if they have COVID-19 exposure
- Do not have to be tested unless symptomatic