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Wednesday, March 11, 2020

CVSD Employee's COVID-19 Test Comes Back Negative

Williston schools reopened Wednesday as the district said an employee under monitoring tested negative for the coronavirus.

The buildings were closed Monday and Tuesday after the Champlain Valley School District learned that a Williston school employee may have been exposed to the virus. Workers subsequently cleaned the facilities.

In a letter Wednesday, the district said that the employee had consented to disclosure of certain details about their situation. It went on to explain that the individual stayed at a hotel in February where a large corporate meeting was also held.

"Upon their return, the staff member became ill with symptoms consistent with COVID-19, only then becoming aware that more than 70 cases of confirmed COVID-19 would be tied to the meeting at that hotel," the letter continued.

The "large corporate meeting" appears to be a reference to a Biogen company meeting held last month in Boston, which has been linked to 70 of the more than 90 confirmed cases in Massachusetts.

"After consulting with their physician and testing negative for the flu, the employee followed the direction of their physician and contacted the Vermont Department of Health as soon as they could," the letter explained. "Our employee was subsequently tested for the COVID-19 virus. We were notified today that the test was negative."

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Vermont Statehouse Signs Warn At-Risk Visitors to Stay Out

The Vermont Statehouse is taking steps to prevent the spread of the coronavirus within the Golden Dome.

Signs posted outside of the Montpelier building on Wednesday morning urged people who meet specific risk factors to stay away. That includes people showing symptoms, those who have visited a health care facility where people are being treated for the virus, and anyone who has visited one of five affected countries — China, Iran, South Korea, Italy and Japan.
House and Senate leaders have also started contingency planning. They met twice on Tuesday to discuss further prevention efforts, like asking witnesses to self-report any risk factors prior to their scheduled testimony. They also plan to discuss what events may trigger an early adjournment, which is viewed as an extreme scenario.

Still, House Speaker Mitzi Johnson (D-South Hero) said she has told her members to "not dilly-dally" on the big bills still up for debate, particularly the ones that are required to keep the state running. She added that lawmakers themselves can take their own precautionary measures.

"Y'all know what I’m going to say," she said on Tuesday during a Joint Rules Committee meeting, referring to washing hands. "You've just got to do it."

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Special Olympics Cancels Winter Games

The Special Olympics of Vermont has canceled two upcoming events and is altering a third amid concerns about the coronavirus.
The Winter Games, scheduled for March 22 through 24 at Pico Mountain ski resort, have been canceled, as has the Unified Champion Schools Snowshoe Tournament, which was on the calendar for March 25. The Southern Vermont Penguin Plunge at Bromley Mountain on March 21 “will be restructured to allow both a physical and virtual event.” More details are expected later.

The decision was made with “the understanding that many Special Olympics athletes, as well as some coaches and volunteers, are a higher risk population due to underlying health conditions that contribute to suppressed immune systems,” the organization said in a statement Wednesday.

“SOVT also consulted with the Vermont Department of Health and various health professionals, and determined that the close quarters of interior spaces and lodging at these events would make it difficult to enforce social distancing as recommended by the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention],” the statement said.

“Those who would like to send positive, uplifting messages to Winter Games athletes who are no longer able to compete, are encouraged to share their support via social media by tagging SOVT and using the hashtag #cheer4SOVT, or by emailing [email protected],” the statement says.