Dear Families,
It has only been a few days since my last communication, yet so much has occurred. Things continue to change quickly not only with the virus but with the precautions being put in place to stop the developing situation.
We do not have any confirmed cases in our school community. However, we have a couple of members of our school community that are being monitored under quarantine and there are 17 confirmed cases in Columbia County. It is not a matter of when anymore - COVID-19 is present in our immediate community.
Further, access to testing remains a problem locally and nationally. We saw an increase of testing last week, as long awaited test kits were made available to local providers and testing restrictions were lifted. However, it was short lived. Columbia Memorial Health, our county’s largest healthcare network, announced last Friday that they would no longer be able to provide public testing in order to preserve their limited supply for those most in need. Their remaining supply will be available only to those who are ill enough to require hospitalization, and for staff who may have been exposed to the virus.
Without the ability to test, we must be extra vigilant monitoring our symptoms, seeking medical advice and isolating appropriately.
If you have a fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath, or if you have reason to believe you have been exposed to COVID-19, please call Columbia Memorial Health’s hotline at 518-828-8249.
They will be able to assess the severity of your symptoms and connect you with the Columbia County Department of Health if they recommend quarantining in place.
If you, or anyone in your family, tests positive or is placed on quarantine please notify the school
just as you would if we were in session so we can continue to track the health of our community. It's important that we have a collective idea of our overall health throughout this process. Because of the widespread nature of the virus, I will not be communicating this information to the larger school body on a case-by-case basis. Please know that the Columbia County Department of Health is mandated to follow up with all people who may have been in contact with someone who has contracted COVID-19.
We’re all on high alert about our physical health right now, but we also need to be tending to our mental and emotional health, along with the mental and emotional health of our children. If your child needs extra support during this time, please reach out to your child's teacher or advisor who can connect you with Liz Young, our school counselor, if needed.
As I was reading the news last night, I saw that Governor Cuomo released a written update on New York’s response. I found his words comforting, so I offer them to you:
“Amid this pandemic, we can’t underestimate the emotional trauma people are facing or underestimate the pain of isolation. It is real. This is not the human condition – not to be comforted, not to be close to friends, not to be able to hug someone. This is all unnatural and disorienting. But my hope is that while New York may be
socially distanced, we remain spiritually connected
. We will overcome this challenge and we will be stronger for it.”
Take good care,
Kara Desiderio
School Nurse
