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Hanover Public Schools Health Services Update 12/11/20

Posted on: December 11, 2020 - 4:30pm
Hanover Health

I am writing to provide an update on COVID-19 in our community.  As you may know, the test positivity rate in Hanover was calculated by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to be 7.34% over the past week. Additionally, our average daily case rate has increased to 43.88/100,000. These two metrics have put us in the second week of the MDPH highest, “red”, community risk level. We encourage all families to regularly view the Town of Hanover COVID-19 Dashboard and click on the “Historic Graph” link to see the trends.

In the past two weeks since Thanksgiving, there have been 27 new positive cases reported involving students or staff.  We have contract-traced each of these, quarantined and tested all close contacts and of those quarantined due to a school contact, one student tested positive. It is unclear if this case was related to an external exposure or related to the close contact that was identified at school. Many of these cases can be connected to family clusters and holiday gatherings and most became positive while they were in quarantine due to a household exposure.

Over the course of the day today, we consulted with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Hanover Board of Health and the Massachusetts State Epidemiologist as well as the school physician to discuss our recent increase in cases and continued “red level” designation. We have been advised by all of these experts to continue with our current programming since there is little evidence of in-school transmission of COVID-19 at this time, and we have been informed that there is little evidence spread in school districts across the state. We will continue to follow this data very closely and continue regular communication with the state and local authorities. 

Quarantine Guidance Update

The MDPH has updated the quarantine guidance for those who have been in close contact with a person who was in the infectious period of COVID-19.  The quarantine period remains 14 days, but strict quarantine can end on day 7 (return to work/school day 8)  if the following conditions are met:

  • The person in quarantine has never had symptoms, even mild symptoms
  • The person in quarantine has a negative COVID-19 test (PCR or Antigen) on day 5 or later
  • The person in quarantine agrees to actively monitor their temperature and other signs of illness for the full 14 days

Communication when there is a Positive COVID-19 Case

Families can expect to be notified by the usual communication channels if there was a person in your child’s classroom who was in the infectious period of COVID-19 (48 hours before symptom onset or asymptomatic positive test). If your child was found to be in close contact with that person you will be contacted directly and provided with information about quarantine and testing. According to Federal and State laws and regulations, we are not able to share identifying information or private medical information.

School and town cases are updated daily and state-reported town information is updated weekly on the COVID-19 Dashboard.

Flu Vaccine/Flu Clinic

As you know, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health now requires the seasonal flu vaccine for attendance in school. Families must provide documentation of the flu vaccine or medical/religious exemption to their school nurse no later than December 31, 2020. The Town of Hanover has a final flu clinic scheduled for Wednesday, December 16, 2020, from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm at Hanover High School (287 Cedar Street). No pre-registration is required. Please bring your insurance card, wear a mask, and practice social distancing.

Slow the Spread

We ask for everyone’s continued help to reduce the spread of COVI-19 in our school and community. Please follow the guidance provided by the MDPH: 

  • Wear a mask in public
  • Maintain a 6-foot distance from others whenever possible
  • Wash your hands often
  • Avoid unnecessary travel
  • Avoid gatherings outside of your household, especially over the holiday season
  • If anyone in your household has symptoms of COVID-19 or has been in close contact with anyone who has tested positive, please stay at home and contact your healthcare provider and your school nurse. Your school nurse is able to arrange for free COVID-19 PCR testing through the Hanover Fire Department Mobile Integrated Health if you qualify
  • Most importantly stay home if you are not feeling well, and please call your school nurse for direction.

Additional information about COVID-19 may be found on the mass.gov website.

Thank you for your continued support and patience as we work very hard to keep students and staff safe and learning in person through this pandemic. We have a lot of reasons to be optimistic about the future and it is more important than ever to continue to be vigilant over the winter months ahead.

Please contact me or your school nurse at any time with questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Patricia Smith RN BSN NCSN
Director of Health Services
psmith@hanoverschools.org