COVID-19 Safety in School, Child Care, and Youth Settings
The Berkeley Public Health Officer Unit works closely with families and providers to promote safe and successful in-person learning, recreation, and care.
OUTBREAK REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
The outbreak reporting requirements for schools, childcare facilities and youth congregate settings within the City of Berkeley are consistent with those of Alameda County. The reporting thresholds for these settings can be found on Alameda County’s Reporting Requirements page under "Reporting Threshold for Non-Healthcare Settings".
COVID-19 Resources FOR FAMILIES
The California Department of Public Health has created a dedicated Hub for Parents with COVID-19 resources and information called the Parent Page. For more site-specific COVID-19 information, please contact the COVID-19 Liaison at your child’s school or program. Find additional resources below:
- Identify COVID-19 symptoms
- Find COVID-19 testing locations
- Find vaccination sites for children, families and staff
- How to quarantine if exposed
- How to isolate after testing positive or showing symptom
LAYERS OF COVID-19 SAFETY
No single intervention can fully prevent COVID-19. By layering multiple safety measures, Berkeley families and providers can help protect our youth and minimize missed time participating in school, sports and social activities.
The most important safety tools to protect against COVID-19 are:
- COVID-19 Vaccines: Vaccines are the most effective protection against COVID-19 for adults and children at least 6 months old. They are free to all
- Indoor Masking: Making sure that children use effective masks consistently and correctly helps reduce spread of the virus
- Staying home when sick: Keep or send children home when they exhibit COVID-19 symptoms
- COVID-19 testing: Anyone exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms or that have had close contact with someone with COVID-19 should get tested. Free testing is widely available and many schools and programs routinely test students and staff
For more information on these and other safety measures, see the California Department of Public Health's (CDPH) Safe Schools Hub and CDPH/California Department of Social Services' Guidance for Child Care Providers.
COVID-19 LIAISONS AT SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Berkeley Public Health has provided training, guidance, and support to designated COVID-19 Liaisons from public and private schools, community agencies, and child care programs across Berkeley. COVID-19 Liaisons support COVID-19 prevention and respond to COVID-19 symptoms, cases and exposures at their sites.
COVID-19 Liaisons can report COVID-19 exposures directly to Berkeley Public Health by using the School and Shared Portal for Outbreak Tracking (SPOT). Existing users can log in to report detailed exposures, request a consult or request a call back. If you have not visited SPOT before or have issues logging in, you can select “New Users” and follow the instructions on the page to fill out a SPOT intake form. Please remember to select Berkeley as the Local Health Jurisdiction (not Alameda) and double check your contact information so we can reach you. By entering detailed information in SPOT, COVID-19 Liaisons can receive a call with answers to questions within one business day. For issues with logging into SPOT, please email the CalCONNECT Help Desk at CalCONNECT.Helpdesk@cdph.ca.gov.
If you do not receive an email or call from our Schools Team within one business day, please email cobcd@cityofberkeley.info.
School, childcare, and youth program administrators can email EOCschools@cityofberkeley.info with training and policy questions.
COVID-19 Policy Resources
Please see the sources below for the most up-to-date COVID-19 policy guidance.
General Guidance & Information
City of Berkeley
California Department of Public Health (CDPH):
- Guidance for Local Health Jurisdictions on Isolation and Quarantine of the General Public
- Guidance for the Use of Face Coverings and Face Coverings Q&A
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
K-12 Schools Guidance
CDPH:
- California Safe Schools for All Hub
- COVID-19 Public Health Guidance for K-12 Schools in California
- California Safe Schools for All Hub, COVID-19 Testing
Child Care Guidance
CDPH and California Department of Social Services (CDSS):
- Guidance for Child Care Providers and Programs
- California Safe Schools for All, COVID-19 Child Care Resources
Cal/OSHA Guidance
Cal/OSHA: California employers are subject to the following regarding employees at work sites:
Last updated July 28, 2022