COVID-19 Response

Archdiocese of Baltimore COVID-19 Parent Communication

May 25, 2022

Dear Cathedral Community,
These are challenging times with the unexpected resurgence of the contagious OMICRON variant. The State is experiencing outbreaks in 268 schools, and the health departments in the nine jurisdictions where are schools reside are recommending aggressive actions to slow the spread.

The Department of Catholic Schools has successfully operated our schools for the last two years. We work with each school to manage the increasing number of cases and maximize in-person instruction. In addition, teamwork with our parents is critical to keep students and teachers healthy to get us successfully to the end of the school year.

Below is an update regarding the Cathedral’s COVID response protocols developed with the Department of Catholic Schools.

Period of Isolation

If an asymptomatic student tests positive, they should isolate for at least 5 days. The date the test is administered is considered day 0.
· If the student develops COVID-19 symptoms, they should isolate for at least 5 days from the date the symptoms began, with the date of symptoms onset being considered day 0.

Quarantine

· With the recent resurgence of omicron and the significant spread we have experienced within households across our Catholic schools, we recommended that a family consider keeping siblings home until the household is healthy.

· Families with vaccinated children have the option of sending their students to school, as long as they have no symptoms, wear a mask, and have generally been quarantined away from the COVID-positive family members.

· Parents can also advocate keeping the children in school in these cases by using ‘test to stay’ by using home tests or rapid testing at school. However, If the child is enrolled in Pre-K, “test to stay” is not an option per the Maryland State Office of Child Care.

We appreciate the Cathedral community’s patience and cooperation as we continue to navigate these challenging times.