Ahead of Holidays, Covid Cases Jump and Testing Increases

Greenwich Schools Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones wrote to families on Friday about the uptick in Covid cases in town.

She said parents had pointed out that a district in another local community went remote for a day last week, but that was not an option for Greenwich.

Per the Connecticut State Dept of Education, Greenwich Schools are legally required to have a 180-day calendar of instruction.

She said that particular district’s calendar had 182 days, giving them some discretion on how to use the two extra days.

With Greenwich Schools recess scheduled from Dec 24 through Dec 31, Jones said that while there was much to look forward to in the holiday season, it coincided with a large uptick in positive Covid cases.

Sharing the link to the district’s Covid Tracker, she said, “The majority of positive cases in the schools are primarily from birthday parties, sports, and holiday events. There is much talk about different variants now found in the State of Connecticut, and they are proving to be more contagious than before.”

Covid Test Appointments, Home Tests

Jones noted that because of the increase in cases, there might be a delay to schedule a Covid test appointment. (Click here to search for a test appointment in Greenwich).

Jones said if families are having difficulty scheduling a lab Covid test to be cleared for the return to school, the district is temporarily accepting home tests for reentry.

“The family may take a picture of the negative test and submit it to their school nurse,” she said. “Businesses, such as CVS, are generally not shipping the tests and they show up as ‘out of stock’ online, but you can continue to search for these tests in local stores.”

And, while Jones said the district does not like it when students miss school, she asked families to keep their children home if they do have symptoms.

See also:

First Selectman Again Urges Covid Vaccinations; Greenwich is a Red Zone; Town Reports Another Death

Yale New Haven Health: This Year, Get a Flu Shot; Omicron Will Likely Become Dominant Variant; Patients Delaying Care Due to the Pandemic

From the Greenwich Health Dept, Dec 18: In an Era of Personal Choice, Public Health Works to Motivate Personal Health & Safety