Updated COVID-19 Guidance: Unvaccinated Close Contacts Outside of School

SFUSD continues to work with the SF Department of Public Health (SFDPH) to implement health and safety protocols to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in schools.

Based on updated public health guidance on January 26, 2022, SFDPH has updated its criteria to return to school for student close contacts who are not fully vaccinated for COVID‑19, with a close contact outside of a TK-12 school setting (e.g. at home or after school): 

A student is a close contact if they were within 6 feet of a person infected with COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more over the course of a day. 

If the child is a close contact but NO symptoms, that child can return after:

• A negative test, collected on or after day 5 of quarantine AND no symptoms after last close contact
• If the child DOES NOT test, the close contact can return after no symptoms after 10 days following last close contact

If the child is a close contact WITH symptoms, that child can return after:

• 5 days after the last close contact AND a negative test collected after symptoms began
• If not tested after symptoms began, the child can return after meeting ALL of the following conditions: 
  • 10 days have passed since last close contact 
  • 10 days have passed since symptoms began
  • Symptoms are getting better 
  • No fever in the last 24 hours, without taking medicine for fever

Please see the SFDPH website covering isolation and quarantine for more information.