Mahalo to all of you for your conscientious preparation to begin our new semester safely and preserve in-person learning by participating in on-site testing last week as part of our phased approach to returning students to campus.

As more is learned about the COVID-19 pandemic and its variants, protocols are aligning for safe response and mitigation of spread. The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (HIDOH) recently adopted new guidelines affirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that changes quarantine guidelines for student close contacts and provides instructions for those participating in high-risk activities. We have adjusted our student quarantine guidelines accordingly and want to highlight several key updates that directly impact our school community.

SEE THE NEW GUIDANCE FOR CLOSE CONTACTS AND CASES

Effective immediately, we will implement the following updates to our student protocols around close contacts:

• If your child is a close contact and is registered as fully vaccinated (two weeks after completing their vaccine series) or has tested positive for COVID-19 in the last three months, your child will not be required to quarantine, though should exercise precautions for 10 days and get tested after five days. Please note that with this update, a booster is not required for quarantine exemption, unless the student is currently 18 years old.
• If your child is a close contact and is not registered as fully vaccinated, your child must remain at home and quarantine for five days from the last date of exposure. We highly recommend close contacts to test on day five after exposure.
• If identified as a close contact, and your child participates in a high-risk activity and is 1) not fully vaccinated or 2) eligible for a booster but has not received it yet, your child must remain out of high-risk extracurricular activities for 10 days from last exposure. Examples of high-risk activities include sports, singing, playing wind instruments, etc.

How could this affect my child?

If a vaccination dose has not been administered in the past 5 months, close contact notifications will now include two dates:

• When they can return to school (pending quarantine exemption)
• When they can return to a high-risk activity (10 days from last exposure)

Please visit the “What happens when there’s a positive case or exposure at KS?” page which outlines details about these new guidelines and how it will impact your child’s return to school and activities. These guidelines may be subject to change, but as they do, the information on that page will be updated accordingly and adjustments will be made to our contact tracing notifications for those directly impacted. 

We do encourage all students and employees to get their booster dose when eligible and able to do so. There is a community vaccination clinic scheduled this Saturday, January 15 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Edith Kanakaʻole Stadium offered by KTA Pharmacy and the State of Hawaiʻi. We are also trying to arrange for an on-site clinic with Bay Clinic later this month and will announce availability once details are confirmed. Additional vaccination information is available on the Hawaiʻi County Coronavirus web portal.

The pandemic continues to challenge our ability to remain flexible and adaptable. Our entire Kamehameha Hawaiʻi ʻohana has demonstrated that we can and will adjust as we continue to learn more about the virus and the steps we need to take as a school community to thrive.

Mahalo for your understanding. As always, we will continue to monitor any developments and are committed to communicating updates as they become available.

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ks hawaii,covid-19

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Kaipuolono Article, Hawaii Newsroom, KS Hawaii Home, Hawaii Elementary School, Hawaii Middle School, Hawaii High School, Newsroom, Campus Programs, Hawaii, Hawaii campus

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