Superintendent Dr. McMorran released the following update on Friday, March 20:
Dear Friends and Families of ER9:
I am writing to inform you that a member of the high school faculty has been diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus. I have spoken with this teacher who, I am pleased to report, is recovering. The teacher started to manifest symptoms on the evening of Friday, March 13. Full symptoms did not appear until Saturday, March 14. Our students and staff were dismissed on the afternoon of Thursday, March 12.
Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines reference a person needing to be actively sick and manifesting symptoms in order to pose a risk to others. Some spread might be possible before people show symptoms but this is not thought by medical experts to be the main way the virus is spread. According to the State Department of Public Health and the CDC Guidelines, isolation and self-quarantine should take place upon manifestation of the symptoms and treatment as recommended by the patient’s physician.
I am informing you of this case out of an abundance of caution. All decisions related to the health and wellbeing of our community have been guided by local and State health experts and the Departments of Public Health.
During the time that schools will be closed, as you have heard, self-quarantine, self-monitoring, frequent hand washing, and social distance are recommended. Please contact your family’s physician as needed for medical advice.
Here is a link to the State’s webpage for the Coronavirus: https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus
Here is a link to the Center for Disease Control: https://www.cdc.gov/
The State Department of Public Health is staffing a hotline for those with questions: Connecticut residents can call 2-1-1 or text CTCOVID to 898211
Sincerely,
Tom McMorran
Superintendent
Easton, Redding, and Region 9 School Districts
This is a developing story. — Easton Courier volunteer editors
