The Roaring Fork School District announced on Monday the adoption of the five-day isolation and quarantine period for COVID-19 among asymptomatic individuals.

The new protocols took effect Tuesday morning as the district continued to scramble to fulfill student supervision requirements in schools due to staffing absences and shortages.

“That will actually have a pretty big impact on getting people back to school where it will reduce the impact we’re seeing,” Roaring Fork School District Public Information Officer Kelsy Been said.

The updated protocols align with new Centers for Disease Control and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment guidelines. The CDC decreased the asymptomatic quarantine time from 10 days to five on Dec. 27, 2021.

Under the new guidelines, a student in kindergarten or higher can return from quarantine six days after exposure if they are asymptomatic, have not tested positive over the course of their quarantine, are not immunocompromised or at risk of severe disease and have worn a mask universally outside of their home.

Individuals isolating can return to school six days after exposure can return if they are a kindergartner or older, have not had a fever in the past 24 hours, have shown improvement with all other symptoms and have been wearing a mask universally outside of their home.

These changes do not apply to symptomatic individuals, who should continue to isolate until symptoms begin to resolve and they meet the criteria above, the CDC states.

The CDC defines quarantining as staying away from others when an individual has been in close contact with a positive COVID-19 case. Isolation is defined as feeling ill or being infected with the virus — symptomatic or not.

Quarantine can be avoided altogether for fully vaccinated individuals above the age of 17 that are vaccinated with boosters, 5-17 year olds who have the primary series of vaccines or individuals who have had COVID within the previous 90 days.

As of Monday, the district had 109 students across 11 cohorts and two staff members in quarantine, according to its COVID data tracking dashboard.

Reporter Rich Allen can be reached at 970-384-9131 or rallen@postindependent.com.