WARREN COUNTY HEALTH SERVICES HOLIDAY TRAVEL ADVISORY
As the holiday travel season approaches, Warren County Health Services wants to remind families about the New York State travel advisory and how it can impact your child’s ability to attend school should you decide to travel or host visitors from another state or region.
SCENERIO ONE
- Your family travels to a state on the New York State travel advisory list. New York State Department of Health requires anyone traveling out of the state with plans to return to New York State to complete a Traveler Health Form. It does not matter how your family travels (airplane, car, bus, train etc.). This form, along with details about the travel advisory, can found online at https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-travel-advisory. Failure to comply with the travel advisory could result in a mandatory quarantine order and even a fine.
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Once you return to New York, your entire family is expected to quarantine at home for 14 days regardless of a negative COVID-19 test. This means your child will not be allowed to attend in person classes for the entire quarantine period.
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If a family does not complete the Traveler Health Form, but it is discovered your child traveled to a quarantine state, you will be contacted by the school and asked to pick up your child from school as soon as possible. Your child will be removed from their class and isolated until you arrive and pick him/her up.
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Your contact information will also be shared with Warren County Public Health. Warren County Public Health staff will contact you and go over the travel quarantine requirements including the date of completion. Warren County Public Health will also provide you a “return to school” letter stating your child has completed the required quarantine.
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Again, we must stress that a negative COVID-19 test does not shorten the quarantine period for anyone.
SCENERIO TWO
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Your family hosts guests from a state on the travel quarantine list. Your guests should have completed the New York State Traveler Health Form before traveling. They will need to quarantine for two weeks or the duration of their stay, whichever is shorter. They will also need to check their temperatures and monitor symptoms daily, which then need to be reported to Warren County Public Health once a day.
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Your guests should minimize interactions with family during their stay. They should wear a mask at all times when interacting with family and strive to maintain a 6-foot distance from others. Your guests should also have a separate bathroom and bedroom to use whenever possible. Guests should not go shopping or leave the residence where they are staying for the duration of their stay or quarantine, whichever is shorter. Extra time should be spent cleaning and disinfecting commonly touched surfaces (door knobs, faucets, handrails etc.).
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Your child will be allowed to attend in-person and virtual classes, but monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms is a must. If one of your guests becomes ill and gets tested for COVID-19, the results of the test could change your child’s ability to attend in-person classes.
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If your guest receives a negative test your child will be allowed to continue with in-person classes as long as they do not have symptoms.
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If your guest receives a positive COVID-19 test, your child will be required to quarantine for 14 days regardless of a negative COVID-19 test for your child. Also, all other family members deemed as an exposure to the sick guest will be required to quarantine for 14 days regardless of a negative COVID-19 test.
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Warren County Public Health staff will contact you and go over the quarantine requirements including the date of completion. Warren County Public Health will also provide you a return to school/work letter stating your child has completed the required quarantine.
SCENERIO THREE
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You/your child or your guests travel from within New York State. The New York State travel advisory does not apply to travel within New York State. However, bringing together family members from different parts of the state also presents challenges. It is important to monitor different parts of New York State for potential COVID-19 hotspots before traveling or have guests travel to you.
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Please ask guests not to come if they are feeling ill with COVID-19 symptoms or are traveling from a COVID-19 hotspot. Require guests to monitor themselves daily for fever, cough and other COVID-19 symptoms. If symptoms begin, have your guests isolate themselves until they leave or get tested for COVID-19. This also applies to your family as well if you travel in New York to visit during the holidays.
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If one of your guests becomes ill and gets tested for COVID-19, the results of the test could
change your child’s ability to attend in-person classes.
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If your guest receives a negative test your child will be allowed to continue with in-person classes as long as they do not have symptoms.
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If your guest receives a positive COVID-19 test your child will be required to quarantine for 14 days regardless of a negative COVID-19 test for your child. Also, all other family members deemed as an exposure to the sick guest will be required to quarantine for 14 days regardless of a negative COVID-19 test.
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Warren County Public Health staff will contact you and go over the quarantine requirements including the date of completion. Warren County Public Health will also provide you a return to school/work letter stating your child has completed the required quarantine
If you have any questions, please call Warren County Health Services at 518-761-6580.