Coronavirus Update 03-12-2020

Coronavirus Update 03-12-2020
Posted on 03/12/2020
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Dear Members of our School Community,

There are still no reported cases of COVID-19 in the Town of Ware or our schools. The superintendent along with Town of Ware Board of Health, MA Department of Public Health, MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and MA School Superintendents are closely monitoring this evolving situation as we work to assure the health and safety of all of our students, faculty, and staff.

As you know, Governor Baker declared a state of Emergency in MA to support the Commonwealth’s response to the outbreak of COVID-19. The conference call that was scheduled to take place today with the Department of Public Health and MA Associations of Schools Superintendents has been rescheduled for Friday, March 13 at 8:30 a.m. As I receive more information regarding this situation, I will keep you updated.

Knowing that these are uncertain times, it is imperative that all decisions made are through consultation with public health professionals to guide us through this situation. Additional precautions that the district will take will include the following:

  • All travel and field trips are cancelled and will be revisited in 30 days 
  • No assemblies with outside guests or performers
  • Remind everyone to take personal precautions including proper self-care and hygiene such as hand washing, cough and sneeze etiquette (for example: coughing or sneezing into a tissue or your sleeves and not into your hands, discard tissues then wash hands)
  • Disinfection of common surface areas as best practices to prevent the spread of this virus and other pathogens
    • Clean hard surfaces (desks, tables, countertops, sinks)
    • Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces (door handles, faucets, and railings), bathrooms and health rooms
    • Use alcohol wipes to clean computer keyboards
    • Use "EPA-approved" disinfectant to clean high-touched surfaces and nurses’ offices
    • The custodial staff is trained to use disinfectants in a safe and effective manner and to clean up potentially infectious materials and body fluid spills
  • We encourage individuals who feel sick to stay home
  • Busses are being sanitized at the end of the day after all students are dropped off
  • Most scheduled extra-curricular activities and events will continue at this time, but some have been postponed until a later date. Please be advised that more cancellations could occur as circumstances change.

Presently, there are no reported cases of COVID-19 in Franklin, Hampden, or Hampshire counties as we are working endlessly to keep it that way. The actions we are taking today is not to cause panic or distress, but to put in place a plan to assure the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff and community. As this ever-evolving situation changes the plan will change with it. The hope is there will be guidance coming from tomorrow’s conference call with the Department of Public Health and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner, Jeffrey Riley, to assist us in navigating through this new world we find ourselves in.

For those interested in learning more or keeping updated on the outbreak and Massachusetts, please visit https://www.mass.gov/orgs/department-of-public-health and https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html . Should any cases be reported in Ware, we will follow standard safety precautions as well as the direction of state and federal health officials.

Any and all questions regarding the Coronavirus should be directed to the Department of Public Health. They have a substantial amount of information here:

https://www.mass.gov/resource/information-on-the-outbreak-of-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19

Thank you,

Marlene A. DiLeo




For more information:

 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/workplace-school-and-home-guidance.pdf



To download this letter, click HERE