Staying Safe and Healthy During Difficult Times

 by Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

Let me start off by saying that I hope you and your families are staying safe during this difficult and trying time. The health and safety of students, educators, and staff is Colstrip Public School’s top priority. It seems as though we have been hit very hard by a number of quarantines in the last 30 days. Point of fact, the District Office count is over 125 individuals with COVID related absences since October 5, 2020. 

With the number of students and staff members that have been quarantined, I am sharing the way isolations and quarantines are counted by the County Health Department to ease frustrations and aid in everyone’s understanding.

 

ISOLATION: An Order of Isolation is due to a positive COVID test result. The isolation period is TEN (10) days for a person who has tested positive for COVID.  The isolation period starts with a day ZERO (0) from the date of first symptoms. The isolated individuals are able to return to normal activities after TEN (10) days. NOTE: Once identified as a positive, there is a NINETY (90) day period (including isolation) in which exempts the individual from being quarantined because they have developed an immunity to the virus that last approximately ninety days.

 

QUARANTINE: An Order of Quarantine is due to close contact with an individual that tested positive within the first TEN (10) days of symptoms. The quarantine period starts with a day ZERO (0) from the date of close contact . The quarantined individuals are able to return to normal activities after FOURTEEN (14) days. See the CDC link for details on When to Quarantine. You can also review the Science of the 14 Day Quarantine to better understand the quarantine period. 

 

Sharing this information is important so that our community understands why some individuals are able to return to normal activities sooner than others.