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Important Health Update 12/6/21

Posted on: December 6, 2021 - 5:05pm
Hanover Health

We are writing with a health and safety update regarding the recent increase in the number of confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in the Town of Hanover and within our school community. As you may have noticed on our website dashboard, we have had 227 new cases in the Town of Hanover in the past 14 days. Within our school community, we have documented 58 new cases in the past 10 days. The state reported a test positivity rate of 8.73% and an incidence rate of 81/100,000 as of November 30, 2021, in the Town of Hanover. We know from our own data that this number is increasing. As we go through the winter months, please be aware that we are currently in a state of high community transmission, and it is important that we all take the usual preventative measures to reduce the spread of illness in our community.

Many of the recent school-related cases can be directly connected to household spread or known clusters outside of school. We have also documented a number of classrooms where there were multiple cases within the 14 day incubation period. It is unclear if these cases were due to classroom spread, or from sources outside the school. However, our test and stay and pooled testing programs continue to show that most school-based close contacts remain negative for the entire quarantine period. 

Our Health Services team is monitoring these situations closely, and we continually consult Hanover Public Health officials, DESE, and state epidemiologists on best practices for keeping our schools open and students as safe and healthy as possible.    

Please remind your children that masks are mandatory at all times on the school bus. Our bus drivers cannot reasonably monitor mask-wearing and prioritize safe driving. If we cannot feel confident that masks are worn as required, we will have to change our protocols for contact tracing and quarantines which will put students at risk of missing school for close contact exposure.   

You can help by:

  • Talk with your child about wearing their mask on the bus.
  • If you have symptoms of COVID-19, stay home and register for a COVID-19 test.
  • If you have been near someone who was positive, or have been informed that you were a close contact, stay home and call your school nurse for guidance.
  • The CDC recommends that in an area of high transmission all people should wear a mask indoors, in public, even if fully vaccinated.
  • If you haven’t already, consider getting a COVID-19 vaccine or booster. If you have questions, please consult your healthcare provider or check out the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics websites for information.

Thank you for your continued patience and understanding during this time. Please contact us at any time if you have questions or concerns. 

Sincerely,

Patricia Smith
Director of Health Services
psmith@hanoverschools.org
781-878-5450, ext. 7405