February Break Travel Information
February 10, 2021
Dear Staff and Families,
There’s no doubt about it; we are in the heart of winter. The weather is cold, the nights are long, and we are all experiencing “COVID fatigue.” Traditionally, many Mainers consider traveling during February, often to warmer climates. However, as February break approaches, it is critically important that our school communities continue to do everything we can to keep our schools safe, open, and able to provide in-person instruction.
The US CDC has issued strong guidance to the American people to continue to limit our interactions and travel at this time. We encourage our staff and families to know the risks and the requirements for travel, and to communicate with school leaders if they are travelling so that our schools can continue to operate safely.
In accordance with Maine travel guidelines, any staff or students who travel within the US to any state other than New Hampshire or Vermont (no restrictions as of 2/08/21 for these two states only), they will be required to either:
Complete a 10-day quarantine upon arrival in Maine and continue to monitor for signs and symptoms for an additional 4 days OR
Obtain and receive a negative COVID-19 antigen or molecular (PCR, NAAT, or isothermal) test result within 72 hours prior to arrival back into Maine to forgo the 10-day quarantine.
Travelers may be tested upon arrival in Maine as well but must quarantine while they wait for test results. A negative COVID-19 antigen or molecular (PCR, NAAT, or isothermal) test result will allow the traveler to leave quarantine early.
CDC has also provided guidance as it relates to international travel. The current risk assessment level for COVID-19 is at 4, or VERY HIGH, for nearly every country. You can review the risk levels by country, here.
At this time, all air passengers coming to the United States, including U.S. citizens, are required to have a negative COVID-19 test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before boarding a flight back to the United States. See Frequently Asked Questions about this requirement for more information.
Upon return to the United States, staff and students must quarantine. International travelers can return to school after they:
Get tested 3-5 days after travel, and receive a negative test result AND stay home and self-quarantine for 7 days after travel.
Do not get tested and stay home for 10 days after travel.
Avoid being around people who are at increased risk for severe illness for 14 days, whether they get tested or not.
Any staff or students who have travelled internationally will not be permitted inside the school building for a minimum of 7 days, even if a negative test has occurred.
Returning to work or school after travel is not dependent on the length of time spent within the restricted states or other countries, meaning that a day visit still requires any person to quarantine and/or test as described above. All members of the household who travel must test or quarantine if over 12 months old. Testing site information for Maine can be found here.
Any person who is quarantining should stay home and not have in-person contact with others unless there is an emergency.
Please continue to follow best practice safety protocols: wear a mask, keep physical diance, wash your hands and monitor for symptoms, and help protect our schools and neighbors.
We further ask any parents who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and are awaiting test results to please keep your students out of school pending those test results.
Finally, if a student or staff member does have a positive COVID test result, please contact the school to inform the school nurse of those results. Clicking here will take you to the email address of each school’s nurse.
Please stay safe and help us keep our school community safe and provide for the students we serve.
Sincerely,
Phillip J. Potenziano Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools