The Marion County Public Health Department has updated its exclusion criteria for schools and child care settings to include COVID-19. These criteria are guidelines regarding when to keep children home from school due to illness.

In accordance with recommendations from the Iowa Department of Public Health, COVID-19 is to be treated like any other illness. If a student tests positive, they should return to school 10 days after symptoms start, and 24 hours after a fever subsides. Along with this guidance, children in contact with the infected individual do not need to quarantine, regardless of mask usage.