IDOH announces changes in COVID-19 procedures for schools

Indiana – On Thursday, The Indiana Department of Health announced several changes in COVID-19 guidance for K-12 schools and childcare programs and a reduction of COVID-19 response operations across the state.

Beginning Feb. 23, schools across the state will no longer be required to conduct contact tracing or report positive cases to the Indiana Department of Health.

Students exposed to COVID-19 no longer need to quarantine, regardless of vaccination status or whether the school requires masks.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s updated guidelines, individuals who test positive for COVID-19 only need to quarantine for five days. They may return to public settings on the sixth day if they no longer have symptoms and have been fever-free for 24 hours without medication.

Schools are expected to continue notifying their local health departments of any outbreaks or large clusters of cases and are also encouraged to share news of a positive case with families.

According to the health department, the demand for testing has dropped and vaccines and treatment are widely available at health provider locations.

Due to these conditions, the IDOH testing and vaccination clinics at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will end operations on Feb. 26.

IDOH will also suspend testing and vaccination teams previously deployed across the state. Mobile testing and vaccination units are still available upon request.

On March 14, The Indiana National Guard support for long-term care facilities and hospitals will end.