City Issues Newly-Revised Health Protocols for Reopening Pasadena Schools

Pasadena on Wednesday released health protocols for the reopening of public and private schools after the holiday break. The 18-page document contains dozens of new and revised procedures that schools must follow, prompted by the Omicron surge.

The protocols were accompanied by a separate “COVID-19 Exposure Management Plan Guidance” document 11 pages long.

In sum, the documents — presented with links to required forms and instructions, definitions and references  — can be described as intricate and complex.

Revisions detail how schools must implement new state and stricter local requirements on how to reduce the occurrences of COVID infections during in-person learning and how to manage COVID-19 infections and exposures.

Key passages are highlighted in yellow and give latest guidance.

Students who have had close contact to those with COVID and who are not fully vaccinated or who are fully vaccinated and booster-eligible but have not yet received their booster must quarantine.

The required quarantine can end and they can return to school on Day 6 after the contact if they have a negative viral test result from a specimen collected on Day 5 (or later) from the date of last exposure to COVID.

If the student doesn’t take a  COVID test, they may resume school activities on Day 11 after their last known contact to the infectious case, provided they are asymptomatic, according to the documents.

Regardless of when quarantine ends, students who have had close contact with a COVID-positive person must continue to have their health monitored and to have their masks upgraded for 10 days from the date of last exposure.

Children should wear a non-cloth mask of multiple layers of non-woven material with a nose wire, according to the new guidance.

Students who have had close contact with a person who is COVID-positive are not required to quarantine under certain conditions. They must be fully vaccinated and boosted if they are booster-eligible and, in order to continue to attend school, are required to be tested at a minimum on Day 5 after the date of last exposure. However, twice a week testing is strongly recommended with the first test specimen collected immediately after being notified of the exposure and the second test specimen collected on Day 5 after the date of last exposure.

Schools were authorized in the newly-revised Exposure Management Plan document to implement stricter rules than are required by the State and city health departments.

The new protocols may be seen online here.