Scarice: Travel Wisely Over April Break

A week before spring vacation — with COVID still a strong concern — Superintendent of Schools Thomas Scarice issued travel guidelines.

He also reminded families of quarantine mandates for athletes staying overnight at out of state events, . Scarice wrote:

Although Governor Lamont’s Executive Order regarding travel is no longer in effect, the Department of Public Health recommends that all Connecticut residents follow CDC Guidelines for Travelers.

Students and staff traveling over the April vacation are asked to follow the guidelines below, which are consistent with the expectations that have been previously communicated.

• While traveling, please continue to utilize all appropriate mitigation strategies (including mask wearing, distancing, symptom recognition, hand washing, etc.) regardless of whether they are mandated at your destination.

• Before travel, review current DPH and CDC recommendations for travel during COVID-19, and plan sufficient time for any necessary actions.

• Before returning to school after travel, we ask everyone to:

• • Get a viral test after returning to Connecticut, and stay out of school until you receive a negative test from the laboratory.

  • Be aware of and closely self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms during and after your trip, especially for the 14 days after returning.

  • Immediately quarantine if anyone with you on your trip tests positive after returning to Connecticut.

• • Be prepared to immediately quarantine if/when symptoms appear.

International travelers should be aware of the additional COVID-19 Travel Recommendations by Destination prior to departure: click here. You may also find these Frequently Asked Questions helpful.

Any student traveling overnight to participate in an athletic tournament must quarantine for a minimum of 7 days upon returning to Connecticut, even with a negative COVID-19 test result.  Additionally, any student not testing must quarantine for a full 10 days upon returning from an overnight out-of-state tournament.  These expectations come directly from the DPH document, “Updated Guidance for the Operation of Interscholastic, Youth and other Amateur Sport Activities during the COVID-19 Pandemic.”

Connecticut mandates quarantines for any athletes participating in out-of-state events, if they include overnight stays.

As we conclude our second, and final, round of vaccinations for faculty and staff this week, we turn our efforts to supporting parents in vaccinating our 16+ student population.

At this point in the year, nearly 2/3 of our high school population is 16+.  Currently, only the Pfizer vaccine has received emergency approval for administration to children ages 16+. This is not the vaccine that has been distributed to our local health district. However, there are options in our region to advance this effort.

There might be clinics in the region that will be dedicated to local students. We may have more specificity just prior to the April break.  Stay tuned!

School districts across the state are awaiting guidance from the DPH regarding end-of-year activities, including graduation, proms, etc. It is likely that we will continue to be encouraged to favor outdoor activities, with universal mask wearing and social distancing.

Once the DPH document is released, the district will move from “save the date” to planning specifics of our end-of-year activities, knowing that any event can change at a moment’s notice until the pandemic is behind us.

Please continue to report any cases over the break to our hotline. We intend to stay on top of our reporting procedures and data, as we have with prior vacation periods.

Thank you for all of the support and patience this year.