Fayette County Public Schools announced on Feb. 23 that they will stop treating COVID as a pandemic, and start treating the disease like an endemic. The difference between a pandemic disease and an endemic disease is that pandemic disease is a widespread disease that has affected a large area in which it is not “permanantly prevalent” and a endemic disease refers to a disease that is already “prevalent in or restricted to a particular location, region, or population.” 

In an emailed statement to parents, guardians and faculty, Fayette County says, “This means positive cases in schools will be treated the same as other communicable diseases (i.e. flu, chickenpox).”

Due to the new treatment of COVID, close contact letters will only be sent out to parents and guardians if the individual school determines that COVID “is being transmitted from person to person in a classroom, grade level or building.”

Additionally, COVID-19 case reports for each individual school will start to be posted daily in addition to the weekly reports. Daily reports will take into account case numbers starting from the Friday of the previous week and end on the day the report was sent out. For example, if there were seven cases on Friday and and two cases on Monday, the Monday report would have a total of nine cases. 

Despite the new changes, some things will remain the same. Schools will continue to send letters to parents and guardians notifying them of the first positive COVID case of the week for the first positive COVID case at their child’s school. Furthermore, Fayette County will continue to put an emphasis on sanitation in order to help prevent the spread of the disease. 

In regards to the treatment of positive COVID tests and exposure, Fayette County reccomends parents and guardians make decisions based off of Georgia Department of Public Health. 

For individuals that have tested positive, after sending a copy of a positive lab result/doctor’s diagnosis it is reccomended that students isolate for five days in addition to notifying teachers in order to receive assignments. Students are reccomended to not return to school until day six of quarantine, with the date of a positive test result being regarded as day zero. Students are also reccomended to wear a mask for ten full days past exposure.

The guidelines for students that have tested positive for at home tests, have presented symtpoms for COVID or have been exposed to someone with COVID within their household are similar, but only require a parent’s/doctor’s note as opposed to a positive lab result/doctor’s diagnosis. 

For students that soley exposed to COVID, it is reccomended that the exposed student wears a face mask for ten days. If a student was exposed to an individual that they are unable to isolate from 

For return from all quarantining it has been stated that symptoms must be “greatly improved,” and the student must be fever free.

At the end of the statement, Fayette County thanks the “parents, guardians, students and employees for their cooperation in helping us continue to deliver the best in education during what has been a very challenging time. We have accomplished a lot under difficult circumstances, and we are proud of the successes made by our students and staff.”