Updated on May 19, 2021:
The CDC has updated its operational strategy for K-12 Schools to reflect the latest science on physical distance between students in classrooms. CDC now recommends that, with universal masking, students should maintain a distance of at least 3 feet in classroom settings. Ursuline classrooms meet this requirement in almost all cases.
Our first responsibility is to always try to protect our entire Ursuline community by following best practices to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. At this time, we have made no changes to the quarantine timelines as directed by the Dallas County Public Health COVID-19 Response Team and the Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Dallas.
For all staff and students who are not fully vaccinated for COVID-19 (> 2 wks. post final required vaccine shot) or have not had a lab confirmed positive case of COVID-19 within three months of the exposure, we have been directed by DCHHS to continue with the current 14-day quarantine and 10-day isolation protocols until we receive any new guidance from our County Public Health Department.
We will await the endorsement of the CDC options from our local county epidemiologists before making any adjustments to the Ursuline 14-day timeline. Until the time when our COVID-19 data improves, we expect that the DCHHS will make no recommendations to offer any options to shorten quarantine periods to students and staff. But, if or when they do, we will notify the Ursuline community on the Ursuline COVID-19 website. We encourage everyone to continue to go to this data site often for all important COVID-19 information and for any important notifications of changes in any of our protocols.
The CDC continues to stress that local public health authorities should make all decisions about quarantine timelines. These decisions should be based on the local COVID-19 transmission and infection rates, hospitalizations and deaths, testing capabilities, and access to testing available in each city and county. Dallas County remains in the highest risk category, Level Red, for infections, hospitalizations, and deaths.
COVID-19: When to Quarantine | CDC
Questions? Please contact the Summer Programs Office.