Procedures Regarding Exposure to COVID-19
The information provided here should be used as guidance on appropriate steps to take for exposure to COVID-19 and related dismissal from, and return to, school practices.
Individual situations may, and likely will, involve nuances that require the school to go beyond the information provided here to effectively mitigate each situation.
In all cases, WT will contact the Allegheny County Health Department for additional guidance.
Terms Used in these Guidelines
COVID-19 Symptoms
As reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people with COVID-19 have reported a wide range of symptoms–ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus.
People with the following symptoms may have COVID-19 and MUST REMAIN AT HOME if any of the symptoms are present.
- Temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher when taken by mouth
- Sore throat
- New uncontrolled cough that causes difficulty breathing (for students or employees with chronic allergic/asthmatic cough, change in their cough from baseline)
- Diarrhea, vomiting or abdominal pain
- New onset of severe headache, especially with a fever
- Loss of taste or smell
- New onset chills, sweats, significant fatigue or unexplained muscle pain.
- Congestion or runny nose
Guidelines for Dismissal from Campus for Sickness
Quarantine and School Absence Policy
(For Symptomatic/Asymptomatic Individuals)
- Symptomatic Individual: Positive Test
- Symptomatic Individual: Negative Test
- Symptomatic Individual: No Test
- Symptomatic Individual: Alternate Cause/Illness
- Asymptomatic Individual: Positive Test
Symptomatic Individual: Positive Test
Symptomatic Individual: Negative Test
Symptomatic Individual: No Test
Symptomatic Individual: Alternate Cause/Illness
Asymptomatic Individual: Positive Test
Quarantine and School Absence Policy
(For Individuals in Close Contact with Probable/Confirmed Positive COVID-19 Test)
The Health Department, along with the CDC, recommends quarantining for at least 14 days after the last possible exposure as the best way to limit the spread of COVID. Symptoms of COVID 19 can start as late as 14 days after exposure to the virus.
Consistent with CDC guidance, the Health Department includes two methods to reduce the duration of quarantine.