COVID-19 Alternate Quarantine Strategy Overview

Fighting COVID-19 Together

Introducing the Return to School Alternate Quarantine Strategy

The Livingston County Health Department has partnered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institute of Health (NIH), University of Massachusetts, and CareEvolution, in order to offer Livingston County public and private school students the opportunity to enroll in an alternate quarantine strategy for the 2021-2022 school year.

Schools are not required to participate in the Alternate Quarantine Strategy. Schools must opt into the Alternate Quarantine Strategy for their students to participate.

Update: LCHD is currently working to more closely align local school quarantine guidelines with new MDHHS guidance released on 9/8/2021.

What is the Alternate Quarantine Strategy?

The Livingston County Health Department explored the use of at-home COVID testing as part of the Alternate Quarantine Strategy in order to:

Limit testing burden on the schools, as schools voiced challenges with performing school-based testing in the 2020-2021 school year.
Allow students the opportunity to remain in in-person learning and limit lost educational time.
Understand transmission between students in the educational setting in order to inform infection prevention decision making in the schools.

How the Alternate Quarantine Strategy Works

If your child has been exposed to COVID-19 at school, you will be contacted by Livingston County Health Department (LCHD) via SMS or email. Students will have the following 2 options to choose from:

Option 1: Standard Home Quarantine

Standard Home Quarantine requires your student to self-quarantine at home for the duration of the quarantine period.

Your student must quarantine at home for 10 days.

The student may return after day 10 if they have not had any symptoms during those 10 days. They should continue to monitor for symptoms for a total of 14 days following the exposure.

Option 2: Alternate Quarantine

The Alternate Quarantine Option allows exposed students to continue with in-person learning.

	Your student may attend school and continue with in-person learning.
	Your student must wear a properly fitting mask in school.
	Every day during the quarantine period, you will receive email and SMS messages with a link to check-in.
	Each check-in, you must perform a daily symptom screening for your student. If symptoms arise, the student should isolate immediately.
	Perform daily free at-home COVID-19 rapid antigen testing with your student, using at-home test kits provided by LCHD. These tests take only 15 minutes to perform. If your student tests positive, the student should isolate immediately.
	You will pick up the first test kit from Livingston County Health Department. The remaining additional test kits will be mailed to you.
	Your student must still quarantine from all other activities, apart form taking the bus and going to class, throughout the quarantine period.

Questions?

Watch the LCHD Alternate Quarantine Video for more information: https://youtu.be/XHlB4_uGVM4

At-Home Testing

About the At-Home Test

Get your COVID-19 test results privately at home in just 15 minutes.

These test kits are:

Comfortable

They only require a quick swab inside each nostril.

Fast

Rapid results in 15 minutes.

Trusted

Quidel, the test maker, also made the first rapid flu tests used by doctors in the US.

Want to help more?

In addition to the Return to School Testing Program, adults and children may be eligible for the "Stop COVID-19" research study to assist in keeping your community safe and healthy.

Learn About the Study

A cooperative effort from state and local health departments, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and community partners.