Ever since the onset of the pandemic in March of 2020, Somerset Berkley has had to operate in ways drastically different than usual. The past two and a half years have been filled with remote learning, hybrid class schedules, masking, social distancing, contact tracing, and quarantining when sick. For the first time this year, Somerset Berkley gets to run in a way that resembles life before the pandemic struck, but this leaves one very important question; what do we do as students if we test positive for COVID?

This year, if a student tests positive, they are expected to report their positive result to the school nurse. From there, they are to quarantine for 5 consecutive days. After these 5 days of quarantine are over, the student can return to school. If the student tests negative for COVID on this fifth day, they can return to school as normal. If the student tests positive, they can still return to school, but are expected to wear a mask until they test negative or 10 days have gone by since their first positive test. 

Some students have wondered what to do if they do not test positive for COVID, but they do have some symptoms. So long as the student tests negative, they are still allowed to go to school as usual. The student can wear a mask if they opt to, but they are not required to do so. It is also important to note that students who are considered close contacts to someone with COVID do not have to quarantine unless they themselves are positive for it as well. It is recommended that close contact students test to see if they’re positive after the sixth day of known exposure and that they wear a mask for ten days to prevent the potential spread of COVID.