YOU HIT THE ROADS THIS MORNING AS YOU KEEP YOUR SON TOYOTA TIME SAVER TRAFFIC. ALL RIGHT,
ALINA, THANK YOU SO MUCH. SO
FLORIDA’S NEW SURGEON GENERAL
WANTS PARENTS NOT SCHOOLS TO
DECIDE IF STUDENTS SHOULD
QUARANTINE AT HOME OR GO TO
SCHOOL AFTER A POSSIBLE
EXPOSURE TO COVID-19. WE ARE
CONTINUING THIS CONVERSATION
THIS MORNING. NOW THAT THE
STATE IS GIVING PARENTS THE
POWER TO DECIDE WHEN THEIR
STUDENTS SHOULD RETURN BACK TO
CLASS DUVAL COUNTY MEDICAL
SOCIETY FOUNDATION. PRESIDENT
DOCTOR SUNIL JOSHI IS WITH US
THIS MORNING. YOU KNOW, DOCTOR
JOSHI. LET’S LOOK AT WHAT THE
CDC SAYS. IT SAYS PEOPLE WHO
GET INFECTED CAN SPREAD THAT
VIRUS STARTING 2 DAYS BEFORE
THEY EVER EXHIBIT ANY
SYMPTOMS. IT IS RECOMMENDED
THAT A STUDENT SHOULD
QUARANTINE FOR 14 DAYS IF THEY
ARE UNVACCINATED, IT CAN
SHORTEN TO A WEEK BY TESTING
NEGATIVE. NOW WE KNOW DOCTOR
JOSHI THAT CHILDREN ARE OFTEN
ASYMPTOMATIC. SO HOW MANY KIDS
COULD POTENTIALLY GET THIS
VIRUS OR BE EXPOSED TO IT. IF
THIS STUDENTS ARE ALLOWED TO
GO BACK WITHOUT A QUARANTINE
PERIOD.
>> YEAH, IT’S GOING TO BE A
MUCH HIGHER NUMBER THAN I
THINK MOST OF US EVEN REALIZE.
KEEP IN MIND THAT THE ORIGINAL
VARIANCE OF COVID-19 HAD WHAT
WE CALL ON OUR NOT WHICH ARE
NOT KIND OF GIVES YOU AN IDEA
AS MATHEMATICALLY AS TO HOW
CONTAGIOUS THE VIRUS IS. THE
ORIGINAL VERSION AND ONE
PERSON CAN TYPICALLY SPREAD IT
TO BETWEEN 2 AND 3 PEOPLE
BEFORE THEY FOUND OUT THAT
THEY WERE INFECTED QUARANTINE.
THIS DELTA VARIANT, ONE PERSON
CAN SPREAD IT TO BETWEEN 8 AND
9 DIFFERENT PEOPLE BEFORE YOU
END UP BEING QUARANTINED. AND
SO IS A SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER
NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT MAY
INDEED PICKED UP THE VIRUS. IF
YOU HAVE 2 DAYS BEFORE YOU
SHOW SYMPTOMS, MEANING 2 DAYS
BEFORE YOU THEN END UP GETTING
TESTED OR QUARANTINING
YOURSELF, HAVE THE RISK
SPREADING THIS TO A LARGER
NUMBER OF PEOPLE. THINK ABOUT
A CLASSROOM SIZE, YOU KNOW,
TYPICAL CLASSROOM SIZES
BETWEEN 20 AND 25 KIDS. ONE
PERSON HAS THE ABILITY TO
SPREAD INTO BETWEEN 8 AND 9
OTHER CHILDREN. YOU CAN
IMAGINE HOW QUICKLY PEOPLE ARE
GOING TO GET INFECTED.
>>LAUREN VERNO: YOU KNOW, I
WANT TO LAY THIS EVERYBODY’S
PARENTS AND THEY UNDERSTAND
THIS. BUT BEFORE THE CHANGE,
PARENTS WOULD FIND OUT THAT A
CHILD HAD COVID-19 IN THE
CLASSROOM. THEY WERE GIVEN
VERY LIMITED INFORMATION JUST
THAT THEY HAD AN EXPOSURE. THE
CHILD NEEDED TO BE TESTED IN
QUARANTINE. SO THIS HAPPENED
IN MY 7 YEAR OLDS, CLASHING
JUST ONE BACK TO SCHOOL 2 DAYS
AGO. AND WE PARENTS ALL
STARTED CALLING EACH OTHER
TALKING, TRYING TO CONTACT
TRACE TO DETERMINE OUR CHILD’S
RISK. LIKE HOW CLOSE WERE THEY
TO THAT POTENTIAL STUDENT? BUT
AGAIN, WE’RE JUST KIND OF
SPECULATING. DO PARENTS HAVE
ENOUGH INFORMATION TO MAKE AN
INFORMED DECISION AND ACTUALLY
KEEP OTHERS SAFE?
>> AND, YOU KNOW, MELANIE,
WITH THE STORY THAT YOU TELL,
THERE’S VERY, VERY COMMON AND
VERY, VERY FRUSTRATING. THIS
HAS BEEN PART OF THE IS
CONTACT TRACING BECAUSE THIS
IS BEING DONE TO DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH. BUT WE ALL KNOW IS
BOTH ALIYAH UNDERFUNDED AND
WOEFULLY UNDERSTAFFED
THROUGHOUT THE STATE AS
BECOMES VERY, VERY DIFFICULT.
THE PROCESS IS TAKING TOO LONG
AND IT REALLY DOES SEEM LIKE
THIS IS THE TYPE OF PROCESS
THAT SHOULD BE GIVEN TO THE
SCHOOLS THEMSELVES THAT THE
SCHOOLS CAN CERTAINLY
UNDERSTAND WHERE THE CHILD
WAS, WHO THEY WERE EXPOSED TO
MUCH FASTER THAN SOME OUTSIDE
AGENCY CAN. AND THEN THE
PARENTS CAN UNDERSTAND IS
MUCH, FASTER AS WELL. AND SO
RIGHT NOW, UNFORTUNATELY, THE
WAY IT’S BEING DONE DELAYING
THE PROCESS AND IN THE
PROCESS, MORE AND KIDS ARE
GETTING SICK UNTIL THE PARENTS
TAKING INTO THEIR OWN HANDS TO
TRY TO FIGURE THIS OUT.
THEY’RE INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATED.
>>LAUREN VERNO: AND I DO HAVE
TO MY KIDS ARE IN SAINT JOHNS
COUNTY AND WE’VE HAD TO MAKE A
PHONE CALL. THE FLAGLER COUNTY
AND THEY WERE SPECTACULAR.
THEY SAID THEY HAVE SO MANY
VOLUNTEERS THAT ARE TRYING TO
PUT THESE PIECES TOGETHER. BUT
I MEAN, THEY’RE HAVING TO
BRING IN VOLUNTEERS AND THEN
I’M ALSO DOING MY OWN
DETECTIVE WORK. NOW, YOU
SPECIFICALLY HAS ADVOCATED FOR
MASK DESPITE THE GOVERNOR
SAYING THAT MASK MANDATES ARE
UNLAWFUL. SO JUST FROM BAD
EXPERIENCE, DO YOU THINK THAT
DISTRICTS WILL ONCE AGAIN DEFY
THIS NEW QUARANTINE PROTOCOL?
>> WELL, I THINK THE DISTRICT
JUST LIKE THEY HAVE DONE WITH
REGARD TO THE MASKS, NEED TO
DISCUSS THIS ISSUE WITH HEALTH
CARE PROVIDERS IN THEIR
COMMUNITIES, PUBLIC HEALTH
OFFICIALS AND ULTIMATELY COME
UP WITH WHAT THEY THINK IS IN
THE BEST INTEREST KEEPING OUR
CHILDREN HEALTHY. REMEMBER, WE
SEND OUR KIDS TO SCHOOL FOR AN
EDUCATION, BUT WE ALSO EXPECT
THEM TO COME HOME HEALTHY AS
WELL. AND SO THE SCHOOL
DISTRICTS THROUGHOUT THE
STATE, WE’LL CONTINUE TO WORK
TO TRY TO KEEP OUR CHILDREN
HEALTHY. BUT IN THE PROCESS,
HELP OUR COMMUNITY WHETHER
THAT MEANS THAT THEY’RE GOING
TO DEFY THIS NEW PROTOCOL IS
YET TO BE SEEN. BUT I HAVE
FEELING THERE WILL BE A LOT OF
DISCUSSION ABOUT THE NEXT UP.
>>LAUREN VERNO: AND DOCTOR
JOSHI, THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE
HAVE CALLS OUT, THOUGH, TO ALL
OF OUR LOCAL DISTRICTS SO FAR
WE HEARD BACK FROM DUVAL
COUNTY. THEY SAID THERE’S NO