- Guilford County Schools
- Basic Facts
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Facts about COVID-19
Using science and data as our guide, our goal is to maintain and prioritize in-person learning while also keeping our students and staff as healthy and safe as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19
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My child doesn’t feel well. I think it’s just a cold or allergies. Can he or she come to school?
No. COVID-19 mimics common cold and flu symptoms, and we also want to limit the spread of other illnesses. To keep everyone safe, please keep your child at home if they are sick until they are symptom- and fever-free for at least 24 hours without the aid of fever-reducing medicine.
Public health authorities updated the requirements for COVID-19 isolation as of January 3, 2022:
Positive for or showing symptoms of COVID-19 (Isolation) – Regardless of Vaccination Status
- Stay home for 5 days
- After 5 days if asymptomatic or symptoms are resolving, they can return to school. After the isolation period, a mask should be worn when around others at home and in the community for 5 days.
- Testing to return is not needed
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Are contact tracing and case investigations continuing in GCS?
No. Beginning on February 21, 2022, contact tracing in K-12 settings is no longer recommended by the state of North Carolina. GCS administrators will continue to immediately report any confirmed cases of COVID-19 among students or staff to public health officials. District staff meet regularly with local public health officials to share data and address any concerns.
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When can students or staff return to school or work?
Per Guilford County Public Health, starting in January 2022, isolation and quarantine periods have been reduced from 10 to 5 days from the date a positive test result was received or the onset of symptoms. If testing is completed, students and staff may return to school if testing was negative and an alternate diagnosis provided by a healthcare provider explains the symptoms. If they have experienced symptoms of illness, students and staff can return to school 5 days after exposure or the onset of symptoms and when they have been fever free for at least 24 hours without using fever-reducing medications and symptoms are improving.
See also the information in the Strong Schools NC: Public Health Toolkit (K-12) regarding isolation for suspected, presumed or confirmed cases of COVID-19. For helpful information on children and COVID-19, visit the NCDHHS website.
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What happens if a student/staff member becomes ill at school?
GCS has a clear and thorough protocol with defined steps that all schools and district offices must follow when a student or staff member becomes ill at school or has symptoms of COVID-19. The protocol is aligned with guidance from the NCDHHS and CDC.
If a student has a fever or is exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms during the school day, the student will be sent to the isolation room. From there, the principal will contact the student’s family and release the student to the parent/guardian. If appropriate, the principal will also provide an isolation letter.
Staff members who are ill, have a fever or exhibiting symptoms are sent home or isolated until their transportation home arrives.
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I am a parent/guardian, and I have tested positive for COVID-19, or someone in my household has tested positive, and my child lives with me. Can my child come to school?
Your child may attend school as long as they do not get sick. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services recommends that a person with a known exposure wears a mask when around others for 10 days. Below is the protocol:
Close Contact with Person with Positive Test for COVID-19
- No quarantine period is required
- Test recommended on day 5
- Masks should be worn when around others at home and in the community for 10 days.
For additional details, please see the Strong Schools NC: Public Health Toolkit (K-12).
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Are COVID-19 and the flu comparable illnesses?
No. While both are respiratory illnesses, COVID-19 spreads faster than the flu. A major worry right now is that the current variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus are highly contagious. While the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is highly contagious, it appears to cause less serious illness, particularly for fully vaccinated/boosted individuals, per public health officials. While fully vaccinated/boosted individuals can get infected with the Omicron variant, they are less likely to experience severe illness, hospitalization and death, per public health officials.
Compared to the flu, COVID-19 can cause more serious illnesses in some people. COVID-19 can also take longer before people show symptoms and people can be contagious for longer.
People can be infected with both flu and the virus that causes COVID-19 at the same time and have symptoms of both influenza and COVID-19. Testing is needed to tell what the illness is and to confirm a diagnosis.
