Masks in Schools. As a reminder, Commissioner Riley has mandated all school staff and students age 5 and above wear masks indoors through at least November 1, 2021.

COVID-19 Symptoms. If any individual (vaccinated or unvaccinated) is experiencing the following symptoms, they must follow the testing and quarantine response protocols for symptomatic individuals (see below):

• Fever (100.0 Fahrenheit or higher), chills, or shaking chills
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• New loss of taste or smell
• Muscle aches or body aches

Individuals with the following symptoms should be monitored and when in combination with other symptoms, should also follow testing and quarantine response protocols below: cough (not due to other known causes, such as chronic cough), sore throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, fatigue, and nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to allergies).

Testing and Quarantine Protocols for Symptomatic individuals and COVID-19 Positive Asymptomatic individuals. Symptomatic individuals may return to school after symptoms improve, have been without fever for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications, and with a negative PCR test. If an individual chooses not to test or individuals who test positive for COVID-19 must isolate for at least 10 days from the day symptoms begin (or after a positive test if asymptomatic) and when symptoms have improved and the individual has been without fever for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.

Updated Definition of Close Contact. Close contacts are defined as individuals who have been within 6 feet of a COVID-19 positive individual while indoors, for at least 15 minutes during a 24-hour period. There is no longer a requirement to trace contacts while outdoors.

The following individuals identified as close contacts are exempt from testing and quarantine response protocols: asymptomatic fully vaccinated close contacts, bus close contacts (due to the mask mandate on buses), and close contacts who have had COVID-19 within the past 90 days. DESE has also listed classroom close contacts who are spaced at least 3 feet apart. Since we cannot guarantee that students will remain 3 feet apart for the duration of the day, we cannot include this exemption. We are striving to bring students back to as much normalcy as possible, and this includes student interactions during the school day.

The full DESE guidance can be found at https://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/on-desktop/protocols/protocols.pdf