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Dear Hotchkiss Families,
I write with a COVID update from Hotchkiss on local conditions, visitation, and vaccination. First, some good news. We continue to be successful in keeping SARS-CoV-2 off campus. As of Friday, our Health Center had conducted almost 10,000 tests since the beginning of the semester, and at this point we have seen two student cases and one employee case. We have had no positive cases appear in campus testing for a week and a half. You can access the data on our Campus COVID Dashboard, which is updated daily.
The region, however, is seeing a dramatic increase in cases, and Litchfield County is seeing twice as many cases daily as we were two weeks ago. Neighboring counties in Connecticut and New York State are also experiencing high levels of cases with no sign of slowing. Due to this spike in cases, we have made the difficult decision to suspend parent visitation to Hotchkiss for the time being. We are doing this both to tighten up the campus "bubble," and to avoid inviting families to a region that is seeing a significant rise in cases. We will seek to reopen visitation when conditions permit. Decisions about competitions in spring sports will be made according to the terms of that agreement, with school medical directors making the decision on the Friday before competition.
Last week Governor Lamont announced that vaccine availability would come to people aged 16 and up in Connecticut on April 1, and we have been actively exploring how Hotchkiss might facilitate vaccinations for our students. Our Health Center team has been in regular contact over the last several weeks with Torrington Area Health District (through which vaccine allotments are made), as well as potential partners such as Hartford Healthcare, Sharon Hospital, Walgreens, and other providers that conduct vaccinations locally. Unfortunately, none have been able to offer clarity or commit to specific availability for our students. We will continue our dialogue with local vaccine providers in the coming weeks.
If families secure individual vaccine appointments for students, the School will seek to support them but enforce some protocols to reduce the risk of exposure that leaving campus brings to the community. Protocols may include a same-day return requirement and parent/driver PCR testing, and appointments that require significant travel or extended time away from campus will need review. If you secure an appointment for your student, please contact Danielle Shippey in the Health Center, and we will provide further details about protocols.
As I've said to many in the past month, there is light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, but the length of the tunnel is still unknown. The year has required both vigilance and flexibility, and Hotchkiss will stay alert and nimble as the pandemic continues to evolve. We remain committed to providing the best and safest experience for our students this spring. Thank you, as always, for your partnership and care in keeping our community safe.
Sincerely, Richard H. Davis Jr.
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