RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) — On Thursday, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced an updated guidance on quarantine procedures regarding COVID-19 exposure in school, child care and camp settings.

The revised guidance outlines that quarantine is no longer routinely recommended for asymptomatic individuals after exposure to COVID-19 infected individuals in child care, K-12 schools, and camp settings.  

Initially, individuals were encouraged to determine what precautions made sense for them and their families regarding their own risk tolerance.

In a release, Gov. Youngkin defended the move saying that vaccines, tests and treatments are readily available and that hospitalization rates are low and the number of Virginians with natural immunity has increased.

“As such, it is again timely for individuals, families and employers to re-evaluate which precautions are appropriate to them.”

However, according to the Virginia Department of Health, Virginia’s 7-day average for new cases is now more than 3,000 with an average of 12 deaths a day and about 650 hospitalizations.  

“From the first days of my administration, I have supported parents in making informed decisions for their own families, whom they love and know best,” said Youngkin. “As Virginians continue to return to the office and social settings, the pandemic is disrupting workplaces and family life when entire child care facilities, camps and classrooms shutter in response to as few as two cases. Today marks a shift in my administration’s recommendations to optional quarantine for exposure to COVID-19 in child care and school settings as the severity of the disease decreases.”  

Youngkin reminded residents to continue to be vigilant about surges or new variants. 

You can view the updated COVID-19 guidance HERE.

Virginians who have not been fully vaccinated, or are eligible for booster doses, can visit vaccinate.virginia.gov or call 1-877-VAX-IN-VA (877) 829-4682 to find nearby vaccination clinics.

Those seeking to find or schedule a testing appointment can visit vase.vdh.virginia.gov/testingappointment.