No quarantine period after a vacation presents a safety issue
Although the beach sounds good now, there’s still a national pandemic happening. Schools should begin to consider a quarantine period for students who travel.
February 24, 2021
As spring break is approaching, many students and families are gearing up for a family vacation. Aside from wanting to escape reality for a week, there isn’t a way to escape the world pandemic. Before planning a vacation, a person should take into consideration the quarantine period or even the testing requirements prior to leaving. Many schools have different ways of returning back to school after a vacation, as for OHS, there aren’t any specific rules set in place.
Before going on vacation, it is important that the individual(s) knows what the quarantine period is before leaving their current location. Principal Kory Kath says, “No, there isn’t any quarantine period set for going back to school from vacation. Return to school fits under whether you’ve been exposed to the virus or you are having symptoms.” Though there aren’t any set rules in place, if a person shall feel ill or they’ve been exposed then they should quarantine before coming back. When spring break comes around, Mr. Kath says, “The schools are still taking into consideration who is traveling. That affects what group comes back each day and when they come back to school.” If the pandemic were to get worse or all schools return to everyone in person, then the CDC could implement a quarantine period for vacationers, but nothing has been implemented quite yet.
Going on vacation for spring break during a pandemic comes with a few preparations. Junior Leah Welker says, “We’re just continuing to follow guidelines such as wearing our masks and staying sanitary.” Majority of people don’t have to get tested before they leave for vacation or before they come back home, unless they leave the country.
Minnesota has a special set of quarantine rules that differ from state to state. In Minnesota there isn’t a quarantine period before returning to school from a vacation, the traveler is supposed to follow the guidelines set by Governor Tim Walz’s executive order. Welker says, “We don’t have to quarantine upon arrival or when we get home, there aren’t any restrictions there for where we are going.” Though, this will differ from destination and state whether you need to quarantine or even get tested. The main goal for vacations this year is to have fun by staying prepared and safe.
If the school and the state don’t have any restrictions for travel this presents a major issue and could affect the health of students. This could lead to an increase in COVID-19 cases within the schools and community.
Schools can only monitor who comes back to school at what time and on what day. They can’t necessarily regulate who travels and who doesn’t. Overall, trying to keep school in session with the pandemic while keeping the students and staff safe is hard enough, let alone attempting to regulate travel. Before someone decides to take a trip, they should take the time to educate themselves on the regulations and safety precautions of their destination and within their own state.
