Contact Tracing In Hazlet Schools To Continue After March 7: Supt
HAZLET, NJ - Contact tracing in Hazlet schools will remain after the statewide mask mandate in schools is lifted on March 7, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Scott Ridley said in a video announcement to parents.
In the video dated March 1, Ridley noted that close contacts of COVID-19 positive individuals in the district will continue to be identified. However, quarantining of students will no longer be required after March 7, as long as identified close contacts report no symptoms.
Hazlet students and staff can continue to wear masks and choose to quarantine if exposed.
Other districts such as Howell Public Schools elected to nix contact tracing efforts last month, according to a letter penned to parents from Howell superintendent Joseph Isola. Read more: Howell Schools Are No Longer Contact Tracing COVID-19 Cases
Masks are no longer required in Hazlet schools as of March 7, per Gov. Phil Murphy’s announcement last month. Yet, although the governor’s spokesperson says that districts should require masking on school transportation through March 7, Ridley noted that “the district is recommending not requiring masks to be worn through Friday, March 4,” in accordance with CDC guidelines updated Friday.
"School districts should continue to require masking on buses until March 7, when the state's in-school mandate ends. We are pleased that the federal government has taken action that will align bus protocol with the mask requirement for New Jersey schools," Murphy spokeswoman Alyana Alfaro told Patch.
Related: School Bus Mask Mandate Dropped: What Does It Mean For NJ Kids?
Ridley also noted that the number of positive COVID-19 cases in the district has plummeted from over 100 across eight schools in early January to just 6 cases last week.
“Additionally, the central Jersey area, which spent nearly two months in the highly-dangerous red zone of the COVID-19 activity level report, has been downgraded to the moderate yellow zone: a significant reduction in terms of activity.”
The full protocol can be found in the district’s safe return to in-person learning plan.
“It hasn’t been easy, and it certainly hasn’t been quick,” Ridley said. “Though, as the weather turns warmer, it does appear that we are heading in a good direction during the days and weeks ahead.”
View the full video announcement below:
This article originally appeared on the Holmdel-Hazlet Patch
