LANSING — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on Monday updated its K-12 school quarantine and isolation guidance to reflect recent updates made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that modifies or shortens the quarantine and isolation periods to as short as five days in some circumstances.

Changes include language on isolation guidance that allow students, teachers and staff to return to school sooner after infection, under certain circumstances.

Quarantine guidance is also updated, allowing students, as well as staff and teachers, to return to school sooner after a school-based exposure.

“The state is committed to ensuring Michigan students and educators are as safe as possible in the classroom,” MDHHS officials said in a news release. “When layered prevention strategies such as vaccination, masking, distancing, testing, isolation and quarantine are applied consistently, school-associated transmission of COVID-19 is significantly reduced.”

MDHHS continues to recommend universal masking in K-12 settings. This guidance aims to help K-12 schools maintain in-person learning by outlining mitigation strategies when students, teachers and staff are exposed to a COVID-19 case in a school setting, officials said.

“We always advocate for preventative measures that keep our children safe,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, MDHHS chief medical executive, in a statement. “Children of school age ages 5 and up are now eligible to get vaccinated, and children ages 12 and up are eligible to get boosted. In addition to masking and testing, we feel confident that schools can remain as safe as possible for our children.”

Quarantine and isolation are determined by the local health department and are used as important tools to prevent the spread of disease.

The MDHHS defined isolation and quarantine as following:

≤ People isolate when they are already infected with COVID-19 and have tested positive, even if they do not have symptoms. Isolation is used to separate people who are infected with COVID-19 from those who are not infected.

≤ People quarantine when they might have been exposed to COVID-19. This is because they might become infected with COVID-19 and could spread COVID-19 to others.

It also defined test-to-stay and mask-to-stay practices as following:

≤ Test to stay is testing every other day for six days following the exposure and consistent and correct use of a well-fitted mask.

≤ Mask to stay is the consistent and correct use of a well-fitted mask when around others and in school and public settings.

Overview of COVID-19 isolation guidance for K-12 Schools

Students, teachers & staff who test positive for COVID-19 and/or display COVID-19 symptoms should isolate regardless of vaccination status, according to the MDHHS.

≤ If positive with no symptoms, monitor for symptoms from day of exposure through day 10 of isolation; and isolate at home for five days. Day zero is the day symptoms begin or the day the test was taken for students, teachers and staff who do not have symptoms; and

≤ If symptoms have improved or a person continues to have no symptoms, return to school while wearing a well-fitted mask, for days six through 10; or

≤ Stay home for 10 days if unwilling/unable to wear a mask.

People who have a fever should stay home until they are fever free for a period of 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.

Overview of COVID-19 quarantine guidance for K-12 Schools

Close contacts of a COVID-19 case do not need to quarantine at home if they:

≤ Had a confirmed case of COVID-19 within the last 90 days; and/or

≤ Are up to date on all recommended COVID-19 vaccines for which they are eligible.

These contacts should still monitor their symptoms and mask to stay for 10 days from the date of last exposure.

Close contacts of a COVID-19 case who do not meet the criteria above need to quarantine or may test to stay and/or mask to stay.

Exposed individuals may:

≤ Home quarantine for days one through five. If feasible, test on day five and mask for days six through 10; or test for days one through six and mask to stay for days one through 10; or

≤ Home quarantine for days one through 10 if unable/unwilling to mask.

Students, teachers and staff should monitor for symptoms throughout quarantine period, days one through 10.

Day zero is day of last close contact with any COVID-19 positive student, teacher or staff. If symptoms develop, get tested.

Symptom monitoring

During days zero through 10 following exposure:

≤ Watch for symptoms, such as fever, cough, shortness of breath or other COVID-19 symptoms.

≤ If symptoms develop, get tested immediately and isolate until receiving test results. If test is positive, then follow isolation recommendations.

≤ If symptoms do not develop, get tested at least five days after last exposed.

≤ If possible, stay away from others in the home, especially people who are at higher risk of getting very sick from COVID-19.

≤ For the full 10 days after last exposure, avoid people who are immunocompromised or at high risk for severe disease, and nursing homes and other high-risk settings

For more information, visit Michigan.gov/Coronavirus. To find a vaccine, visit VaccineFinder.org.

Record number of patients at state’s hospitals

Michigan hospitals reported a record number of COVID-19 patients Monday, surpassing the peak from nearly a month ago before the state’s daily already-high infection counts surged to new heights due to the more contagious omicron variant, the Associated Press reported.

Roughly 4,900 people were hospitalized with confirmed or suspected cases of the virus, including 4,580 adults with a positive test. The previous pandemic high for adults with a confirmed infection was 4,518 on Dec. 13, before a two-week decline and then an increase that started after Christmas.

Michigan had six COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 residents in the past week, seventh highest among all states, according to the federal government. Beaumont Health, a large hospital system in the Detroit area, has said it is at a “breaking point” — urging people to be vaccinated, get a booster shot and wear a mask in public places.

Gilchrist tests positive

Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II says he’s tested positive for COVID-19 but is showing no symptoms while he quarantines with his family, according to the Associated Press.

Gilchrist said on Twitter that he tested positive Sunday morning after his 2-year-old daughter, Ruby, began experiencing a runny nose and a mild fever — symptoms that are consistent with the coronavirus.

He said his daughter and everyone else in his family was then tested for COVID-19. Gilchrist said he and his family are quarantining as the highly contagious omicron variant continues spreading across Michigan and the U.S.

He said he has completed contact tracing intended “to keep others safe” and will isolate for the appropriate amount of time, and will be working virtually for now.

“The omicron variant of COVID is very, very contagious. At this point I am not showing symptoms and our daughter’s symptoms are improving. We are praying for this to continue to be the case,” he said.

Gilchrist, a Democrat who’s second in command to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, said he and his wife, Ellen, are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and have also each received a booster shot.

Whitmer tested negative for the coronavirus last week, one day after her husband, Marc Mallory, tested positive for the virus.