TWO recently identified positive cases of Covid-19 affect Chacha Oceanview Middle School and Francisco M. Sablan Middle School, acting Education Commissioner Eric M. Magofna said in a memorandum Thursday to Public School System staff, parents and families.
Citing the advice of the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. and the Governor’s Covid-19 Task Force, Magofna said there will be no face-to-face classes today, Friday, Oct. 29, at Chacha and FMS until further notice.
“While the two schools remain closed, instruction will continue online through Blackboard. All other schools are not impacted at this time and should continue with normal operations,” he added.
He said PSS is working closely with the Covid-19 Task Force to conduct contact tracing and enact safety protocols.
“We want to assure you that we are doing everything we can to provide a safe environment for our children to learn and grow. We will keep you updated as circumstances change. We highly encourage you to take action to help limit the spread of Covid-19, even if your child is not experiencing symptoms,” Magofna said.
“The most important things you can do: Make sure your child is wearing a mask when recommended or required. Make sure your child is washing their hands. Keep your child home if they are sick. Call your primary care provider if you or your child have symptoms of Covid-19. Make sure that your children get vaccinated when they are eligible. Make sure to take advantage of antigen testing at your child’s school when made available. Register your child to get screened and tested for Covid-19 at https://covidtesting.chcc.health”
Magofna added, “You may feel worried or anxious about the near future and your family’s health. Rest assured that your child’s and family’s health is our priority. If you feel the need to reach out for help, please contact [email protected]”
In a media release Thursday, the Governor’s Covid-19 Task Force and the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. said they had “identified three additional individuals confirmed positive for Covid-19, bringing the total Covid-19 count for the CNMI to 294 individuals since March 28, 2020.”
The individuals were identified and confirmed via surveillance testing performed in collaboration with the Public School System on Oct. 28, 2021, the task force and CHCC added.
Developing situation
A private school, Mount Carmel School in Chalan Kanoa, said based “on the developing situation and current information disseminated by [government] agencies, [MCS] has decided to continue with face-to-face classes, with parents given the option of keeping their students at home for [Friday’s] classes.”
MCS said this decision was reached for the following reasons:
“The CNMI Public School System issued a district-wide memo stating non-affected schools will continue with face-to-face classes.
“The Governor’s Covid-19 Task Force is conducting contact tracing to mitigate any community spread.
“The Governor’s Covid-19 Task Force and the CNMI Public School System are still working to collect official data and information to make any island-wide executive orders; and
“We have been assured by CHCC that the school’s current Covid-19 mitigation protocols are more than adequate to prevent spread at the school, which we will continue to practice.”
MCS said all “faculty, staff, administrators and vendors will also reinforce all Covid-19 mitigation guidelines set forth by the school and the CNMI Covid-19 Task Force.”
