Above: There are promising figures from the Town and the schools that demonstrate that the spread of Covid-19 and its impacts are diminishing in our community. (For a better look at the graphs, click on images below right)
Yesterday’s announcement from the state on relaxing Covid restrictions came the same day that NSBORO public schools issued a weekly Dashboard that lifted my spirits. The Northborough-Southborough schools’ figures are looking much improved this spring.
Today, Southborough updated its Covid figures as of yesterday. Town wide numbers are also trending in the right direction.
There were three more confirmed cases reported in Southborough yesterday, bringing the number of active cases to five. But the two week total has been trending down for the last month and is only 8 as of Monday. (See chart right.)
In the public schools, there only one case confirmed last week (in Northborough K-8). In addition, the number of students and staff required to stay home keeps going down.
Last week, only 18 students/staff were quarantined/isolated. Not only was that significantly lower than all year, but there weren’t even “modified contacts” required to monitor their symptoms. (See chart right.)
The good news comes just three weeks after spring break. (After past holidays and breaks, infections and quarantines had sometimes spiked in the weeks that followed.)
Yesterday, NSBORO Superintendent Gregory Martineau updated parents that changes to state guidelines may result in changes in the schools.
This afternoon, Northborough and Southborough public schools’ Medical Advisory Team is discussing the updated guidelines on Covid-19 safety protocols. If they recommend changes, the district will make an announcement prior to implementing any:
Today, Monday, May 17, 2021, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) provided school districts with new COVID-19 guidelines. DESE will no longer require masks for outdoor activities like recess and will now allow for sharing objects in classrooms, K-12.
Tomorrow afternoon, Tuesday, May 18, 2021, the District’s Medical Advisory Team (MAT) will convene to review DESE’s new guidelines and provide their recommendations. Any changes to The Public Schools of Northborough and Southborough’s COVID-19 mitigation efforts resulting from DESE’s new guidelines will be implemented in a timeframe that allows the District to communicate with faculty, staff, and families. The earliest any of these changes would take place is later this week.
Below are more of my updated graphs tracking cases for the Town and the schools:
