The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
School closed after adult exposed to coronavirus
MIDDLETOWN — The district closed its sixth-grade facility for two days following the discovery that a member of the school community may have been in contact with someone in the state who tested positive for coronavirus.
Superintendent of Schools Michael Conner said Thursday morning the person is not a student of Middletown Public Schools. After learning the news late Wednesday, district officials closed the facility Thursday and Friday to conduct a full cleaning of the building.
The person is an adult who came into the Keigwin office but did not have contact with students, Mayor Ben Florsheim said. That individual is in contact with medical professionals, he added. “We have no reason to believe that this person has had any contact with students, faculty, or administration at any other Middletown school.”
Officials are considering the situation at Keigwin Middle School a “low-risk circumstance,” the two said in joint news release.
“We don’t know if the person has it. We know there are some connections and we’re looking at the threat of the connection. We’re taking extra measures to be safe, and be sure all of our students and staff come back to a clean environment,” the schools chief said.
Florsheim told the public Thursday afternoon that the individual has not been on a school bus.
“However, we’re taking the extra steps to ensure the school is clean. We’re doing a deep cleaning over the next two days.
“We don’t know any direct information. We don’t know if there are any cases regarding the interaction, however,
we want to be safe as a school district,” said Conner, who was at central office until 1 a.m. Thursday consulting local and state officials about the matter.
Gov. Ned Lamont announced Thursday afternoon that the state laboratory has confirmed three additional individuals have tested positive. In total, 95 individuals have been tested: six positive and 89 negative.
He is prohibiting all events in the state with more than 250 people; modifying the state law requiring schools to be in for 180 days; and clarifying visitor restrictions at all nursing and convalescent homes.
For a list of all coronavirus closings and cancellations in Connecticut, visit ctpost.com.
“If you have symptoms, there’s a good chance you have it,” Florsheim said he’s being advised by the state epidemiologist. They include difficulty breathing/chest pain, cough and a fever.
City meetings for the present time will still proceed but this is a “minuteto-minute” situation, Florsheim said, although there is presently no cause for alarm.
“We could hear in the next hour somebody at City Hall was exposed, so that could change,” he added.
He is reassuring Middletown residents that preparations are being made to preserve the continuity of government services and they’re ready in the case employees will be working remotely from home.
The mayor is concerned the state only has a limited number of coronavirus test kits, with the state lab in possession of only enough to cover 100 tests.
Florsheim said he’s in contact with city leaders, and they are forming a plan if the need arises for a staging area where families in need of food can pick up “grab-and-go” items.
“This is very much on everyone’s mind. Everyone is thinking creatively,” he said.
“At this juncture, the city and [Middletown Public Schools] believe there is a low risk to students and are not recommending that Keigwin students or families selfisolate. The city and MPS want to aggressively reduce the risk of community transmission of COVID-19, and will make a determination on when we will reopen the school based on the outcome of testing,” according to the joint statement. “No other schools are impacted at this point in time.”
All other school facilities will also be consistently and thoroughly cleaned each evening and over the weekend.
Florsheim ordered city department heads to develop contingency plans to maintain continuity of essential city services in the event of community spread in Middletown, he said.
People can sign up for alerts from the city at middletownct.gov.
“It has become clear just how rapidly this virus is spreading,” a Wesleyan University communication official said. All on-campus events and exhibitions have been canceled until further notice.
Anyone who purchased tickets in advance will be issued a refund from the box office starting next week.
Florsheim also canceled a long list of upcoming city activities, including the mayor’s ball April 18.
“The message we are receiving loud and clear from other states and cities that have been hit hard by this outbreak is that they wish they had been more cautious and acted more quickly in a proactive, precautionary way,” Florsheim said.
Haddam-Killingworth schools have postponed or canceled all Regional School District 17 March and April extracurricular activities which involve large groups of over 100 people, Superintendent of Schools Holly Hageman said Thursday.
The eighth-grade Washington, D.C., trip has been postponed to June 3 to 5.
All Brainerd Library programs and community meetings/groups are canceled or postponed through the end of April.
“If cases of coronavirus affect our community, or if the state required it, we would close our schools for an extended period. This decision could come with very little notice. Please begin to prepare alternative accommodations for your child in the event that a closure is warranted,” she said.
Should there be a need to close schools, the closure would likely be for two weeks. The district has plans for students to work via the internet in the meantime. Days will likely be made up at the end of the academic year, she added.
Meanwhile, the Russell Library in Middletown has pushed off its joint book sale with Wesleyan University which was to run from Thursday through March 23, as well as all events Thursday.
“The COVID-19 situation is evolving rapidly. The executive committee of the library board will be meeting late this afternoon to determine what further action will be necessary. We will publish updates as soon as we have more information,” the release said.
Anyone with questions about COVID-19 may contact the Middletown Health Department at 860-638-4960.
Editor’s note: Check back for updates on this developing story.