As a teacher, I disconnected from most work-related things over winter break because I needed to for my own well-being, but I was not able to disconnect from Covid. A thread.

11 Days before Christmas my husband had Covid symptoms. I stayed home from work and he went to get tested. His rapid test (all he could get) was negative, so we assumed he had a bad cold. School was remote for the next 5 days before break, so I continued working from home.

On 12/21 my husband had a PCR test done (for work). We had to schedule it 5 days in advance! On 12/27, when he still didn't have results, he drove back to the urgent care where the test was done to demand his results. He learned he had tested positive and no one contacted him.

If he hadn't driven back we wouldn't have known. Yes, I'm still horrified. I spent the rest of the day refreshing the webpages of NJ test sites to try and get an appointment because I did not want to go wait in line with people who had symptoms. (I was symptom-free)

It took a while, but I snagged an appointment the next afternoon. I had my PCR test on 12/28 + was negative. It's now 1/4. No one has contact traced us. We have not been contacted by the health department. I had to figure out quarantine time on my own.

I understand DOHs are overwhelmed, but how can we possibly say schools are safe when we admit we can't contact trace? And I don't care what @GovMurphy says in his press conferences- we do not have the infrastructure to test people, either. I had to work hard to find tests.

One wrong test, one test result never returned, hours to find another appointment. That's insane. I am lucky that I was on break and have insurance. How can the average working adult find the time to get an appointment, get tested, track down results, research quarantine, etc?

While no one contact traced us, we did speak to the doctor who did my test. Their hypothesis is I infected my husband, They said to assume I was exposed at school after Thanksgiving and asymptomatic. I likely brought it home and then my husband got sick.

We are so lucky he had a mild case. The doctor told me they see tons of teachers and families of teachers who are getting sick from school exposure, "even though the governor pretends it's not happening". I was not surprised to hear that. No teacher would be surprised.

And the drama continues. Due to exposure, I can't return to school until 1/7. Because FFCRA expired teachers are required to take sick days for any illness, exposure, or Covid caretaking/childcare. It is preposterous. It's also dangerous for staff + students

I am lucky to have sick days. When we require people to take their own sick days due to Covid exposure/illness it means people will lie about exposure/illness + put others at risk. And exposure will happen. This is what my county and state look like (before the holiday surge!):

But it's insane that I will have to take sick days (even though students and teachers are remote right now!) when I almost certainly got infected at work and then infected my husband. I was honest and told my district about my exposure. I'm not sure other people will do the same

My husband continued to work from home when he was quarantined because his company recognizes the sense in it. I am perfectly healthy and forced to take sick days this week even though students and staff are remote!

What about teachers (who are mostly female!) who used all their sick days for childbirth? Childcare? We are creating situations, in the second wave of a global pandemic, when people will feel forced to go into schools even when sick.

And parents are facing the same issue. If they are honest about exposure they will need to miss work or keep their children home. People can't afford to take unpaid days, so kids who are sick or exposed will likely be coming into school even more than they were in the fall.

What are we doing? That's what I keep asking people, and no one has an answer. I work in a building with no windows and poor ventilation. I am around unmasked students. Staff can remove masks when "alone" (even though all spaces and air in schools are shared).

My district, like most, refuses to provide air purifiers. Unlike many NJ districts mine does not inform the school community when someone tests positive. And my district isn't alone with these issues- teachers all over NJ and the country are dealing with these things.

I don't have a conclusion. I'm just so frustrated by everything. Schools should be remote for the next few weeks. That's it.