CROMWELL - The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) is allowing districts to put a pause on contact tracing and fall back on other COVID safety protocols such as sanitation, social distancing, and masking.

       The new guidance comes amid a COVID upsurge that, according to health experts, makes contact tracing far less feasible, as well as new CDC guidance regarding quarantines for the COVID positive and exposed alike.

       “Because individual-level contact tracing is a tool that becomes less effective when community transmission levels are high, DPH recommends that schools begin to refocus the activities of health staff away from the investigation of relatively low risk in-school exposures and toward the identification, early isolation, and clinical management of students and staff with active symptoms that could be related to COVID-19,” wrote DPH Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani in a DPH’s December 31 letter to school superintendents. “Routine contact tracing of individual exposures that occur inside schools or during school-organized and supervised activities can be discontinued without posing a significant increased risk of negative impact on in-school transmission of COVID-19 or access to in-person learning.”

       Connecticut is seeking a record upsurge in COVID cases, with statewide infection rates north of 20 percent.

       Cromwell saw 107 new cases between December 12-25, while Rocky Hill reported 173. Both towns, like almost all Connecticut communities, are well above the DPH’s minimum infection rate for the highest red designation �" Rocky Hill was at 61.4 per 100,000 people while Cromwell sits at 55.2.

       But in-school transmission, despite reported quarantine upticks in districts across the state, remain relatively low, according to the DPH.

       A low percentage of exposure-based quarantines that become positive COVID cases was another consideration, the State Public Health Commissioner says.

       Districts that choose to discontinue individual contact tracing must continue to comply with in-school masking mandates, and are advised to limit periods of indoor unmasking, DPH says.

       They are also being advised to continue reporting new cases and quarantines to district families.

       Cromwell Superintendent of Schools Dr. Enza Macri announced that her district would discontinue contact tracing in a January 2 letter to parents.

       Opting out of contact tracing also terminates the district’s screen and stay program, as the revised CDC guidelines driving the latest state-level policy reduces the quarantine window for COVID-positive, asymptomatic individuals from 10 days to 5.

       Asymptomatic individuals recovering from COVID are advised to continue masking when in public for an additional 5 days, according to the CDC.

       Vaccinated people exposed to someone with COVID no longer need to quarantine if they are not exhibiting symptoms �" CDC guidelines recommend testing at day 5 and masking for 10 days.

       In alignment with CDC recommendations, Cromwell will send symptomatic individuals home and request that they get tested for COVID. In the event of a positive case, the district plans to adhere to the 5-day quarantine, Macri said.

       “Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals who are notified that they have had a close contact with an individual who has confirmed or suspected COVID-19 should immediately quarantine at home and test for the virus 5 days after their last exposure to the COVID-19 case,” Macri’s letter reads. “This is especially important in situations where extended high-intensity exposure may have occurred, such as with household contacts, in unmasked social settings (e.g., sleepovers, parties), and/or during athletic activities.”

       In Rocky Hill, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mark Zito told parents that he and his team are reviewing the latest DPH guidelines, with plans to finalize and share any protocol revisions over the coming days.

       “We will be working with our state officials, our local health department, and our building administrators and school nursing staff to thoroughly review the new guidance and make adjustments, as appropriate, to the protocols governing contact tracing, quarantine periods, and isolation periods within the next several days,” Zito wrote in his January 2 letter to district families.

       Both districts are awaiting word on the State’s plans to distribute iHealth take-home test kits �" the Town of Rocky Hill received and distributed 1500 on Monday.

       Shipping delays tabled local level distribution plans right out of the gate, with the test kits stuck on the west coast.

       The state began receiving both the tests and N95 masks early this week, but with many towns reportedly getting less than what they were originally promised.

       Cromwell town health officials gave out a limited number of tests Wednesday.

       “We are currently preparing to distribute N95 masks to faculty and staff,” Macri wrote. “We are partnering with the Town of Cromwell to make these resources available to our schools as soon as possible; as of the writing of this letter, no test kits have been provided to the school system and when we receive them, there will be a limited amount for staff availability only. Once we learn how many test kits we have, we will communicate the distribution plan.”