Montana does not have a statewide date for public schools to reopen.

Should students return to school while in COVID-19 quarantine?

No. CDC recommends students and staff who are asked to quarantine should not go to school or school events in-person during their quarantine period.

Can children still go to school if parents tested positive for COVID-19?

If you or anyone in your household tests positive, your child should follow your school’s guidance for quarantine. If your child also tests positive, they should not go to school, even if they are not showing symptoms. They should follow your school’s guidance for isolation.

How do schools know if a student has COVID-19?

This process starts when a school becomes aware of someone within the school community who has COVID-19. Schools may find out about people having COVID-19 in a number of ways, including through parent reports to the school, self-reports from students or staff, or screening testing conducted by the school.

When can an unvaccinated student go back to school after COVID-19 quarantine?

If the person who is quarantining does not develop symptoms of COVID-19 and does not test positive or is not tested, that person can go back into public spaces, including school, on day 15.

Montana schools weighing options to reopen

When should I end isolation after a positive COVID-19 test?

Isolation and precautions can be discontinued 10 days after the first positive viral test.

How long should I stay in quarantine after exposure to COVID-19?

Quarantine means staying home for 14 days after you are exposed to someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19. This is because you can be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 but may not show symptoms for up to 14 days. Even though you may not show symptoms, you can still spread the virus.

What is contact tracing for students during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Contact tracing with staff and students is an effective strategy to identify and isolate cases and close contacts to reduce COVID-19 transmission. Students, staff, and educators who are not vaccinated and have had close contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19 are at greatest risk for infection with SARS-CoV-2.

Can I still have sex during the coronavirus pandemic?

If both of you are healthy and feeling well, are practicing social distancing and have had no known exposure to anyone with COVID-19, touching, hugging, kissing, and sex are more likely to be safe.

What does a contact tracer do?

Contact tracers need to quickly locate and talk with the patients, assist in arranging for patients to isolate themselves, and work with patients to identify people with whom the patients have been in close contact so the contact tracer can locate them.

What should I do if my family members are infected with COVID-19?

The person with COVID-19 and all members of the household should wear a well-fitted mask and consistently, inside the home. If possible, one member of the household should care for the person with COVID-19 to limit the number of people in the household that are in close contact with the infected person.

When do you start being contagious with COVID-19?

A person with COVID-19 is considered infectious starting 2 days before they develop symptoms, or 2 days before the date of their positive test if they do not have symptoms.

Should I get tested after a close contact with someone who has COVID-19 if I am fully vaccinated?

• If you've had close contact with someone who has COVID-19, you should get tested 3-5 days after your exposure, even if you don't have symptoms. You should also wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until your test result is negative.

What is the recommended distance from students in school during the COVID-19 pandemic?

•Due to the circulating and highly contagious Delta variant, CDC recommends universal indoor masking by all students (age 2 and older), staff, teachers, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.

•In addition to universal indoor masking, CDC recommends schools maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance between students within classrooms to reduce transmission risk. When it is not possible to maintain a physical distance of at least 3 feet, such as when schools cannot fully re-open while maintaining these distances, it is especially important to layer multiple other prevention strategies, such as screening testing.

Do I need to quarantine if I have completed my isolation for COVID-19?

No. If you recently completed isolation and someone in your household tests positive for the virus that causes COVID-19 shortly after the end of your isolation period, you do not have to quarantine or get tested as long as you do not develop new symptoms.

Do I need to quarantine if I tested positive for COVID-19 within the past three months?

People who have tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 3 months and recovered do not have to quarantine or get tested again as long as they do not develop new symptoms.

How safe is intimacy with a partner during the COVID-19 pandemic?

If both of you are healthy and feeling well, are practicing social distancing and have had no known exposure to anyone with COVID-19, touching, hugging, kissing, and sex are more likely to be safe. Similarly, sharing a bed with a partner who is healthy should not be an issue.

Be aware, though, that the CDC reports that some people may have the virus and not yet have symptoms during the early part of the incubation period (presymptomatic). Additionally, some people never develop obvious symptoms of COVID-19 (asymptomatic). In either case, it’s possible that the virus might spread through physical contact and intimacy.

Can you get COVID-19 from kissing someone?

It's well known that the coronavirus infects the body's airways and other parts of the body, but new research indicates that the virus also infects mouth cells. You don't want to kiss someone who's got COVID.

What should you look for after being intimate with someone new during the COVID-19 pandemic?

After a close, high-risk encounter like sex, you should be mindful of your personal risk of contracting and falling ill to COVID-19 as well as the risk you may pose to those in your own circle. I recommend monitoring yourself closely for any symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, shortness of breath, cough, fatigue, the loss of taste and smell). Also, consider getting a COVID-19 test five to seven days after the interaction. I would also refrain from interacting with any at-risk persons within a 14 day period after the encounter. If you cannot avoid contact with a high-risk individual, take precautions to lower your risk profile by social distancing, choosing to interact with the individual in outdoor spaces as opposed to indoor spaces, and wearing a mask.

What is contact tracing in the context of COVID-19?

Scientists and public health workers are also working to stop the spread of COVID-19 through contact tracing. In this strategy, public health workers talk to people with COVID-19 to learn about all the people they were physically close to while they were potentially able to spread the disease.

What is considered a close contact of someone with COVID-19?

For COVID-19, a close contact is anyone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period (for example, three individual 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes).

How can contact tracing help in controlling the spread of COVID-19?

Contact tracing can break the chains of transmission through the rapid identification, isolation and clinical care of cases, and providing supported quarantine of contacts, meaning that virus transmission can be stopped.

Should I get tested for COVID-19 if I was in close contact with a positive case?

•Viral testing is recommended for close contacts of persons with COVID-19.

What should I do if I've been exposed to a person with COVID-19 and I have fully recovered from a COVID-19 infection in the previous 90 days?

Someone who tested positive for COVID-19 with a viral test within the previous 90 days and has subsequently recovered and remains without COVID-19 symptoms does not need to quarantine. However, close contacts with prior COVID-19 infection in the previous 90 days should:
• Wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days after exposure.
• Monitor for COVID-19 symptoms and isolate immediately if symptoms develop.
• Consult with a healthcare professional for testing recommendations if new symptoms develop.

How long should I wait to get tested for COVID-19 after being exposed if I am fully vaccinated?

- If you have been fully vaccinated and around someone who has COVID-19 (close contact), you do not need to stay away from others (quarantine), or be restricted from work unless you develop COVID-like symptoms. We recommend that you get tested 3-5 days after your last exposure to someone with COVID-19.