Chicago Public Schools updates COVID-19 guidelines ahead of school year

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago Public Schools students head back to class next week, and ahead of that the district is issuing updated COVID-19 guidance.

New testing procedures will be in place for "close contacts" to keep up with the latest guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Now, any student or staff member who is exposed to COVID-19 will not be required to stay home for five days, but they will need to wear a mask in school for 10 days following the exposure.

Those who test positive for COVID-19 must isolate for five days, and then wear a mask at school for five more days after returning to school.

COVID-19 is still spreading across Chicago, but the pace is slowing. The city's COVID risk level is back down to the medium category.

The Chicago Department of Public Health said there has been an average of 614 new cases a day in the last week, down 17% from the week before.