MATTAPOISETT — Superintendent Michael S. Nelson and the health departments of Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester wish to remind the school community of the importance of following the necessary COVID-19 related health and safety precautions.
The district continues to track a rise of COVID-19 cases across the schools over the past several weeks. Given the multiple positive cases and subsequent close contacts in the community, it is in the best interest of everyone, regardless of vaccination status, to maintain several best practices.
These best practices include wearing face coverings when indoors; keeping your hands clean; covering your nose and mouth when sneezing and coughing and washing your hands often when coughing and sneezing; and maintaining physical distance as much as possible.
“In Marion, we’ve seen a rise in positive COVID tests, many of which are in children. While it appears that children are much less likely than older adults to get seriously ill from COVID, serious illness or death is possible,” Marion Board of Health Chair Dr. Edward Hoffer said. “Additionally, a child who doesn’t show serious symptoms can still spread the virus to others, including other children or family members, and it remains vitally important that everyone follows the recommended preventative measures.”
Parents/guardians and students are also reminded to monitor for COVID-19-like symptoms. The early identification of symptoms combined with staying home and seeking testing when sick are two ways to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
All families are asked to monitor their children each day for: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, sore throat, sudden loss of taste or smell, congestion and/or runny nose. If any of these symptoms are present, the student should be kept home.
Parents/guardians can also help to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by having their children participate in activities that are held outdoors rather than indoors. Families are encouraged to avoid activities held indoors, such as sleepovers or indoor birthday parties where transmission is likely.
“Being cognizant of the activities your children are involved in and paying attention to any symptoms of illness within your family can go a long way in supporting the health of the school community,” Mattapoisett Public Health Nurse Emily Field said.
Added Superintendent Nelson, “We are urging all of our students, families and staff to continue following the necessary health and safety guidelines to ensure that we are able to maintain a safe and healthy learning environment. Adhering to these best practices is especially important as it will help allow our schools to continue learning in person this year.”
The Old Rochester Regional School District and MA Superintendency Union #55 has a dashboard in place to track all reported cases of COVID-19. The dashboard can be viewed here.
Additionally, families are encouraged to visit the district’s 2021-2022 Reopening of Schools Information webpage to view COVID-19 protocols and guidelines.
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