IDPH expands COVID-19 testing to all public schools

[August 06, 2021]  By Andrew Hensel |

(The Center Square) – The Illinois Department of Public Health announced that it will expand its COVID-19 testing to cover all public schools in the state.

“In-person learning is a priority and we want to make sure students, teachers, and staff are able to return to the classroom as safely as possible,” IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said in a statement. “With the surge in COVID-19 cases and Delta variant, the sooner we know if someone has been infected, the quicker we can take action to prevent the spread of the virus to others. Not only is testing the best way to identify these cases, it can also help keep kids in school with a new test-to-stay protocol.”

The state will use the SHEILD saliva tests. As an alternative to at-home learning, students and teachers who have been identified as a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case now have the option of a test-to-stay protocol. Those people will be tested on days 1, 3, 5, and 7 after exposure, if the teacher or student then tests negative they will not have to quarantine and will avoid missing additional class time.

The IDPH is recommending weekly testing for students and teachers, but ultimately the state's more than 850 school districts will determine how the tests will be used.

School districts that do implement weekly testing will get priority in receiving outbreak testing if needed.

Dr. Don Brown, of Northwestern Medicine, said that weekly testing will be vital to keep students in the classroom.

"As a pediatrician, we love keeping students in schools," Brown said. "They're not just learning but there is also the very important social side of being in a classroom. I just hope students and parents don't relax on other safety protocols like masking just because they are frequently being tested."
 

The state will use federal funding to supply the testing to school districts at no additional cost.

"Previously, SHIELD Illinois tests were offered to schools in predominantly low-income communities that have experienced high rates of COVID-19 infection at no cost," the Illinois Department of Public Health said in a statement. "Thanks to additional funding from the federal CARES Act and American Rescue Plan, IDPH has the ability to expand free testing to all K-12 schools outside of Chicago."