On March 4, 2020

High school staff member quarantined due to coronavirus

Staff report

After six people died of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, in Washington state last week, local officials have been preparing for an outbreak in Vermont.

There were no confirmed cases in the state as of Monday, March 2, but officials are expecting residents will become sick.

White River Valley Supervisory Union Superintendent Brooke Olsen-Farrell said a staff member at Fair Haven Union High School has been voluntarily quarantined by recommendation of the state after he traveled to Italy. The individual will be quarantined until March 9.

“It is important to note that our staff member has zero symptoms and we have no indication that they were exposed to the virus,” Superintendent Brooke Olsen-Farrell said in a letter to parents Feb. 27. “This is purely being done out of an abundance of caution.”

Olsen-Farrell said the school district’s maintenance department has increased cleansing of all surfaces in the buildings to reduce the possible transmission of illness.

She said the school is also prepared to temporarily close if too many staff members or students become sick.

A total of 90,000 people in 67 countries have tested positive for the disease. Coronavirus kills about 2% of those infected. About 3,000 people had died as of Monday, March 2.

Vermont Department of Health Commissioner Mark Levine said at a press conference last Friday that 27 people were being monitored by the state. Another 14 people have finished the monitoring process.

Levine said he expects the disease will appear in Vermont soon.

“It’s time to prepare mentally and physically for disruptions to our daily lives,” he said in a recording of the press conference.

He said the state was preparing to close public spaces and limit mass gatherings. But there is little known about the virus. “Things evolve rapidly in terms of our state of knowledge,” he said.

Though it’s not in Vermont, an employee of Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in nearby Hanover, New Hampshire, tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday, March 1.

Officials said the individual at Dartmouth had traveled to Italy and was showing mild symptoms of coronavirus. The person was being quarantined at home.

Windsor Central Supervisory Union Superintendent Mary Beth Banios said the school district is closely monitoring the outbreaks and will be following Vermont Agency of Education and the Vermont Department of Health guidelines.

Do you want to submit feedback to the editor?

Send Us An Email!

Related Posts

The state of real estate

February 12, 2025
  By Katy Savage   The local housing market picked up considerably after a slow start to 2024. Limited inventory remained a major driving factor with the total number of units sold up slightly by 1.9% across Rutland County and slightly down in the Upper Valley -3.5%, according to a regional analysis by Sotheby’s International Realty.…

Mountain Green condos $48m renovations is underway

February 12, 2025
By Polly Mikula Mountain Green Condominium Association, a 45-year-old, 215-unit association with a restaurant, spa, gym and two pools located across from Snowshed Lodge on East Mountain Road, is embarking on a $48 million renovation.  The renovations, under DEW Construction Corporation, will take about 2 1/2 years to complete. Work began in 2023 and is…

local furniture company is the go-to for high-end finishes in model homes

February 12, 2025
By Polly Mikula Steve Malone, developer of the new Base Camp at Bear Mountain townhomes, says all his model homes are decorated by Pompanoosuc Mills furniture, (a.k.a. “Pompy”) based in Thetford, Vermont. “It’s delux, Vermont-made furniture and a wonderful local company,” Malone said. “I’ve used Pompy for all of my model homes and many owners…

Base Camp at Bear Mountain plans to begin vertical construction this fall

February 12, 2025
By Polly Mikula Twenty-four 4-bedroom, 4-bath duplex townhouses with attached 2-car garages are underway at Bear Mountain in Killington. All of the townhomes will have ski-in ski-out access on the Bear Cub Trail. Site clearing for the new slope side duplex development at Killington Resort’s Bear Mountain began this past October and will resume with…