Greenville County Schools students who have been identified as close contacts of someone who has COVID-19 can avoid quarantine with a negative antigen test, at-home rapid test or PCR test, the district announced Feb. 1.
The change follows the district’s request to both Gov. Henry McMaster and South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) to match asymptomatic student quarantine guidelines with those of asymptomatic employees.
In response, DHEC confirmed with the district that PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) tests are acceptable under the “Test-to-Stay” program that, before Feb. 1, had included only antigen and at-home rapid tests, which are in short supply.
By opening the program to PCR tests, DHEC paved the way for the state’s largest school district to opt-in to “Test-to-Stay,” according to the district’s announcement.
“(Greenville County Schools) may use Mako’s PCR tests for Test-to-Stay. Antigen tests are preferred for the rapid results, but with Mako’s turnaround times meeting the 24-hour mark, I think the district is well-positioned to use PCR for this process,” said Brandi Hagman, DHEC’s COVID-19 Response Schools Coordinator.
Infographic courtesy Greenville County Schools
Additionally, students must be symptom-free and wear a mask through day 10 after close contact. DHEC requires that students who are not vaccinated and/or were not positive within the last 90 days to get tested on day 5 and provide the test result prior to day 8 to their school. Parents will receive details about the Test-to-Stay program in Parent Backpack, and information is available at www.greenville.k12.sc.us.
Guidance for testing & results:
- At-home rapid-test – Submit the DHEC Attestation Form to the school (English)
- Free GCS testing site (Mako Medical) – Test results will be sent directly to the email address provided during preregistration, and they will automatically upload to the GCS system
- Test at a non-GCS testing site – Submit the test result to the school
The Greenville Journal’s Rick Spruill contributed to this story.
