Santa Ana Unified School District

STAFF Quarantine Guidelines & Durations

Quarantine durations may vary due to the type of symptom(s), improvement of symptom(s), COVID-19 test results, and/or health provider documentation/advice.  The quarantine duration or the end date is determined based on the guidelines set by CDC, state, and/or OC Health Care Agency.  A negative COVID-19 test does not necessarily end a quarantine.  See the "For Symptomatic Staff Members, Regardless of Vaccine Status" section below for details. 

COVID-19 symptoms include, but are not limited to, fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue/ muscle or body aches, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting or diarrhea, and headache.  A staff member should NOT assume that any of these symptoms are due to a cold or flu.  If a staff member is experiencing one of these symptoms, regardless of their vaccination status, the staff member must immediately isolate, and report their symptoms to the COVID Task Force through the FLAIRZ app. Click Here for details and instructions on how to access the FLAIRZ app.  

Important Definitions

Close Contact: Per CDC, close contact is defined as someone sharing the same indoor airspace (e.g. classroom, team, activity group) for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period (for example, three individual 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes) during a person’s infectious period.   

Fully Vaccinated: Per CDC, people are considered fully vaccinated:

• 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or
• 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine

For Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Staff Members

Close Contact/COVID Exposure 

Unvaccinated and Fully vaccinated staff members can refrain from quarantine and testing following a known exposure if is asymptomatic; Click Here for details and instructions on how to access the FLAIRZ app.

• Asymptomatic (No Symptoms) staff members must also:
  • Continue daily self-monitoring for symptoms through Day 10 from last known exposure
  • Get tested for COVID-19 on the 3rd or 5th day after the known exposure. No quarantine is required prior to taking this test or while waiting for the test results, unless symptoms arise.  Please read further for details. 
  • Per Cal/OSHA masking guidance, it is required that persons wear a well-fitting mask around others for 10 days, especially in indoor settings.
  • If tested positive, report on Flairz application and follow notifications. 
  • If any symptoms develop,  the staff member must immediately isolate, report their symptoms to the COVID Task Force through the FLAIRZ app, get tested, and contact their healthcare provider with any questions regarding their care.  The COVID Task Force may be able to coordinate testing for the staff members. For information on the quarantine duration for a staff member that develops symptoms, see the "For Symptomatic Individuals" section below.  

Travel Outside the State of California or Country   UPDATED

Per recent state/local health department and CDC guidelines, SAUSD is NO LONGER requiring any individual, including staff, to quarantine after traveling outside the State of California and/or country, even if they are unvaccinated. 

Current CDC guidelines do RECOMMEND a COVID test to be taken on the 3^rd to 5^th day after an individual returns to the State of California from their travel or trip, regardless of their vaccination status. 

CDC Travel Guidelines: Click Here

For Symptomatic Staff Members, Regardless of Vaccine Status

For symptomatic staff members, regardless of vaccine status, quarantine will be required. 

A staff member must report their symptom(s) on the FLAIRZ app.  Click Here for details and instructions on how to access the FLAIRZ app.

• Quarantine duration may vary from 1 to 10 days, and may be extended, depending on symptom(s) improvement, or healthcare provider recommendation.
• Regardless of vaccination status, a staff member must quarantine if they are symptomatic. 
• A COVID-19 test may be required depending on the type of symptom(s) the staff member is experiencing. A test will allow SAUSD to determine if any other individuals need to be informed regarding a possible COVID exposure. All tested individual’s information will remain confidential. The COVID Task Force will coordinate testing for the staff members.
• A negative COVID-19 test does not necessarily end a quarantine. Symptom improvement and/or a fever must be taken into consideration when determining clearance. 
• A negative COVID-19 test may end a quarantine if a healthcare provider documentation is provided, which must indicate that the symptoms are typical of an underlying chronic condition (e.g., allergies or asthma) OR a healthcare provider has confirmed an alternative named diagnosis, can also alter quarantine end date.   A healthcare provider documentation will not be acceptable if it only indicates a clearance or return to work date, and no alternative diagnosis is indicated.  The staff member must provide a copy of the healthcare provider documentation to the COVID Task Force for approval of quarantine clearance.
• Per Cal/OSHA, if staff member returns to work before the 10-day quarantine period ends, the staff member is required to wear a well-fitted mask until the 10-day quarantine period ends.

End of Quarantine

A staff member with symptom(s) of COVID-19 infection will be informed of their end of quarantine date and will be advised that they can physically return to the work site as long as they meet the following CDPH criteria to return to work:

• At least 24 hours have passed since resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications; and
• Other symptoms have improved

A staff member will be advised not to physically return to work if they do not meet the above CDPH criteria. A staff member will also be advised that if they do not meet the above CDPH criteria, then they are not to physically report to work and are to contact the COVID Task Force again. 

Click here to download Staff Decision Tree 

The quarantine duration or the end date is determined based on the guidelines set by CDC, state, and/or OC Health Care Agency.

For more information regarding quarantine guidelines and duration, CLICK HERE for CDPH Guidelines.

For questions or concerns, contact:

SAUSD - COVID Task Force

(Phone) 714-480-5282                (Email) CovidTaskForce@sausd.us