by Larry Chowning –
There was more good news for the Middlesex County Public Schools (MCPS) last week as there were only two positive COVID-19 cases and 12 people quarantined in the MCPS school system over the week of Oct. 9-15.
MCPS superintendent Dr. Tracy Seitz reported these results in a weekly update in an email to parents on Friday, Oct. 15. “We are pleased to see a continued reduction in positive cases and the number of individuals required to quarantine because of exposure in school,” said Dr. Seitz.
“We are very hopeful this trend will continue!” she said. “We continue to follow the layered mitigation strategies we have in place and thank you for your assistance in keeping our schools safe and open.”
Since Middlesex County schools opened on Aug. 23, there have been 50 individuals to test positive for COVID-19 and 234 who have had to be placed in quarantine. Several weeks ago, the Middlesex County School Board mandated that during county school board meetings mask must be worn by school officials and the public.
Contact has been made with the families of those who are required to quarantine. It is not necessary for any other students or staff to enter quarantine at this time, she wrote.
Administrators and staff begin contact tracing immediately when we are notified of a positive case, she said. “You can help us by calling your child’s principal as soon as you have your child tested for COVID-19. If it is after hours or on the weekend, please email your child’s administrators so that they can begin the contact tracing process.”
“We ask that you continue to encourage good habits within your families and continue to monitor for the COVID-19 symptoms. Based on communication with families these symptoms very closely mimic other very common illnesses or allergies,” she wrote.
In keeping with the school system’s policy, Seitz’s email did not specify which school or schools had the two individuals with COVID-19 cases, nor say whether they were students, staff or both.
