CONTACT TRACING AT PCSSD

In an effort to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus within our staff and student body we are asking all parents/guardians, of students who will be in attendance on-site, and all employees to notify our designated Point of Contact immediately when the following occurs:

  • Someone in the household has tested positive for COVID-19.

  • Someone in the household has been identified as a Close Contact to a positive case of COVID-19 and is requiring quarantine and/or recommended to be tested for COVID-19.

  • Student attending on -site and employees who are being tested for COVID-19. If symptomatic, student/staff should remain in quarantine pending results of their COVID-19 test.

Please call Dr. Janice Warren, Asst. Superintendent of Equity & Pupil Services or Nurse Amber Abbot, at 501-539-3895, or email information to covidcontact@pcssd.org. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Together we can help keep our PCSSD family safe, healthy and ready to learn during this unique time.

COVID-19 CASES

PCSSD will share information from the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) for reporting positive cases among the district.

Arkansas Department of Health COVID-19 Reports

Educational Institutions:
Report on Educational Institutions with 5 or More Active Cases
*This report is generally released on Mondays and Thursdays.

The data in the links and reports below are provisional and subject to change. Numbers are subject to lab corrections and lag time adjustments. For recurring reports, several of the most recent releases are listed.

STOP THE SPREAD

The following information is from the Arkansas Department of Health. (PDF)

What is quarantine?
Quarantine is an important way to stop the spread of COVID-19. It means staying home and away from others after you have been exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19. If you are a close contact to a person with COVID-19, you need to quarantine for a period from the time of the exposure. Close contact, generally, means you were within 6 feet of the person for at least 15 minutes total while they were infectious. COVID-19 patients are considered infectious two days before their symptoms started, or two days before their positive test if they do not develop symptoms. All close contacts should get tested for COVID-19 at least five (5) days after the last exposure to the positive person. If you are a close contact, you need to quarantine even if you don’t feel sick and even if you have received a negative test.

Length of quarantine
The incubation period of the virus that causes COVID-19 is up to 14 days. Therefore, the safest quarantine period would last 14 days from the most recent exposure to the positive patient. In accordance with new CDC guidelines, quarantine can end after 10 days without testing if no symptoms have occurred. Or, it can end after 7 days if no symptoms have occurred and a test returned a negative result. Note that the test sample must have been collected at least 5 days after exposure. Send-off PCR tests are preferred, but rapid PCR or antigen tests are acceptable. If you are exposed again during quarantine, the period must start over again. If you develop symptoms or test positive for COVID-19 during the quarantine period, you must follow the instructions for isolating yourself.

Quarantine after vaccination (new from Arkansas Dept. of Health - Feb. 2021)

Vaccinated persons with an exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 are not required to quarantine if they meet all of the following criteria:

  • Are fully vaccinated (i.e., ≥2 weeks following receipt of the second dose in a 2-dose series, or ≥2 weeks following receipt of one dose of a single-dose vaccine)

  • Are within 3 months following receipt of the last dose in the series

  • Have remained asymptomatic since the current COVID-19 exposure

Persons who do not meet all 3 of the above criteria should continue to follow current quarantine requirements after exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. These quarantine recommendations for vaccinated persons, including the criteria for timing since receipt of the last dose in the vaccination series, will be updated when more data become available and additional COVID-19 vaccines are authorized.

quarantine for people with no symptoms

COVID-19 CONTACT COMMUNICATION

Communications Guidance

Staff Communications Guidance

Student Communications Guidance

COVID-19 Symptoms

Communications Protocols

COVID-19 Guidance