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The state Health Department has issued schools 19 pages of advice on what to do if someone tests positive for COVID-19. The guidelines include charts explaining when schools should shut down classrooms or entire school buildings, with several matrices to help schools decide if and when they should ask students to quarantine or shut down school buildings if someone tests positive for COVID-19.

Closure

The COVID-19 Regional Risk Matrix on page 3, (see below for link to entire document) is one tool that can inform the decision-making process for school districts when considering when remote learning might be indicated. Local circumstances should be considered when making decisions impacting specific school districts and schools. Many factors would need to be considered when deciding to close schools such as the distribution of cases within the school.

Closure is a local decision that should be made by school administrators in consultation with local public health. While it is not possible to account for every scenario that schools may encounter over the course of the school year, the following scenarios may help inform the decision for when schools should temporarily close.

The following chart is found on page 15 (see below for link to entire document).

To read all the COVID-19 Public Health Recommendations for Local Health Departments for K-12 Schools from the NJ Department of Health, click here.

The 25% capacity limit is not the only rule for indoor dining. Under the Department of Health’s Health and Safety Standards, food or beverage establishments offering in-person service must adhere to the following protocols, among others:

• Limit the number of patrons in indoor areas to 25 percent of the food or beverage establishment’s indoor capacity, excluding the food or beverage establishment’s employees;
• Limit seating to a maximum of eight (8) customers per table (unless they are from a family from the same household) and arrange seating to achieve a minimum distance of six feet (6 ft) between parties;
• Require customers to only consume food or beverages while seated;
• Require patrons to wear face coverings while inside the indoor premises of the food or beverage establishment, except when eating or drinking at their table;
• Food or beverage establishments with table service must require that customers be seated in order to place orders;
• Food or beverage establishments with table service must require that wait staff bring food or beverages to seated customers; and
• Keep doors and windows open where possible and utilize fans to improve ventilation.  

To see Governor Murphy’s press release regarding reopening indoor dining, click here.