With the second wave of COVID-19 taking the U.S. by storm, more people are being exposed to the virus than ever before. Yet, some students have relaxed their personal safety precautions. 

It is difficult for schools to monitor the safety of students and staff when they’re outside of the building. In cases where students or staff travel outside of Connecticut without reporting it to the nurse or administration, it is almost impossible for the school to regulate their quarantine periods. It is also hard to make sure those who have come in contact with someone infected with Covid outside of school are properly quarantining.

One anonymous parent explained how their child, a Staples student, had been exposed to Covid but didn’t complete the full two week quarantine process. 

“Once we got the [negative] results back […] we loosened up our restrictions. We did go to Vermont, we did ski, which we were technically not allowed to do,” the parent said. 

In addition, it can be challenging to diagnose students with Covid. A study at the University of Alberta has shown that ⅓ of kids with COVID-19 are asymptomatic. 

Hunkering down and refraining from contact with people outside of one’s household is the best way to end the current 63% increase of COVID-19 cases that have occured over the past two weeks in Connecticut. Some schools have already put new rules in place to better protect their students. For example, Greenwich Public Schools have required students to continue to remain isolated in quarantine for the full quarantine period of 2 weeks instead of the more recent state requirement of 10 days.

By implementing harsher policies, the school is better able to monitor student’s health and further insure they spent the correct amount of time in quarantine.

After being in the pandemic for almost a year now it can be difficult to stay inside with a limited number of social interactions. However, it is crucial to maintain a safe and healthy environment in order for students to be able to continue  in-person learning. Students that disregard these rules are putting everyone they come into contact with in potential danger.