FARMINGTON – Several Regional School Unit 9 locations have been designated as being in “Outbreak Status” this week, as determined by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Outbreak Status is defined as three or more positive cases of COVID-19 in different households over a 14-day period. Mt. Blue Campus, Mt. Blue Middle School and W.G. Mallett School are all currently labeled under this status. The district has not announced any changes to instruction models at any of the three sites.
As of Thursday, Sept. 23, positive case counts for the school year are as follows: Academy Hill School- two; Cape Cod Hill School- one; Cascade Brook School- three; G.D. Cushing School- zero; Mt. Blue Campus- 12; Mt. Blue Middle School- seven; W.G. Mallett School- seven.
More than 30 close contacts were identified and notified, 17 of whom were required to quarantine. The remaining 13 close contacts are still able to attend school regularly due to one of the following guidelines: the individual participates in universal masking, the individual is fully vaccinated, or the individual was COVID-19 positive in the past 90 days.
The district reported that further investigation determined none of the positive cases this week were contracted from being at school. Transmissions are all believed to be related to outside exposures.
“We know that the term “Outbreak Status” can be worrisome, especially at this time when the COVID Delta Variant is in the news and is a concern throughout Maine and throughout our country. As with all terms it has a purpose, that is to give a designation based on three or more cases detected in one place and to heighten awareness so that we will all be on the lookout for the signs of other possible cases,” Superintendent Chris Elkington wrote in a health notice this week. “Please be assured that we will continue to monitor all close contacts related to the recent positive cases associated with Mt. Blue Campus, along with any other positive cases, and will notify you if there are any changes.”
All students and staff are required to complete a health screening before heading to school and to report any close contacts with a positive case.
Case counts are updated at the end of each week and can be found by clicking here.
