Horry County Schools to end quarantine and contact tracing. What it means for students
Horry County Schools students will no longer need to quarantine if they’re exposed to someone with COVID-19, the district announced following new recommendations from the state health department.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control issued new guidance this week, stating contact tracing and quarantining are no longer necessary at individual schools when the percentage of students with a positive COVID-19 test is less than 10%. All schools in Horry County are currently below the 10% threshold, and the new setup takes effect Thursday, according to HCS spokesperson Lisa Bourcier.
DHEC guidance operates on data over two-week periods, the first of which ends Feb. 28. While the department anticipates most schools will be able to begin the rolled-back protocol March 1, HCS will discontinue contact tracing, quarantine and the test-to-stay program starting Thursday. Bourcier said DHEC allowed the district to begin earlier because it had already recorded a positivity rate below 10% for more than two weeks.
Under the updated rules, students who are positive for the coronavirus will still need to quarantine for five days following the test and wear a mask days six through 10. Those rules haven’t changed.
HCS, like all districts in the state, will continue to report COVID-19 numbers to the state health department. If a school’s caseload breaches the 10% threshold over a two-week period, the school will revert to contact tracing, quarantines and the test-to-stay program, which allows students to attend school provided they’ve tested negative for the virus.
The shift in COVID-19 protocol comes after months marked by the confusion and frustration of parents grappling with near-constant changes to quarantine guidance. Parents have taken to social media and school board meetings to voice their concerns, often saying their kids are healthy and shouldn’t miss out on face-to-face class because of COVID exposure.
HCS has continually eased its COVID restrictions since the beginning of the school year, including shortening quarantine times at the suggestion of DHEC.
Throughout the school year, sizable portions of Horry’s student body have been in quarantine during the most severe surges in cases across the state. At the beginning of the school year, more than a quarter of students were isolated and more than 10% of students were in quarantine as classes resumed in January following the winter break.
This story was originally published February 23, 2022 at 5:06 PM.
