Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 1/12/2022
EAST LONGMEADOW – With cases rising at a rapid rate, the East Longmeadow School Committee analyzed conditions behind the recent omicron COVID-19 surge during their Jan. 3 meeting.
Health Director Tammy Spencer began the conversation by providing an update on the town’s COVID-19 numbers. She showcased a report detailing information from two weeks prior to the meeting date, revealing that the town had 237 positive cases and a positivity rate of 10.9 percent. Spencer expressed concern with the results but ensured that the case jump was in line with a similar holiday increase last year.
“When you look back at this period last year, our highest two-week period was only at 174 total cases and a 7.6 percent positivity rate. That week was that exact same period we are experiencing right now,” said Spencer. As omicron presents new potency in its transmissibility, she explained that 76 of the positive cases from the last two weeks were fully vaccinated before testing positive.
Superintendent Gordon Smith provided an update of cases that have occurred from the beginning of Christmas break to the date of the meeting. He said 46 positive cases arose in the school district, with 41 of the positive cases stemming from students. He explained the case amount is much larger than the fall data, although many of the positive cases are already clearing quarantine protocols due to omicron’s shorter incubation period.
Smith stressed that January will likely continue the case increase pattern. “We most likely will see a similar type of surge that we saw last year and moving forward into January,” said Smith.
One facet of the school district that has been impacted most by the surge is athletics, according to Smith. East Longmeadow High School Principal Frank Paige joined the discussion to articulate struggles facing winter sports teams.
“Unfortunately going into break, we did have a number of teams that did have some outbreaks,” said Paige, who explained that both basketball teams and the hockey team suffered from postponements over the last few weeks.
In addressing the ongoing issue, Paige said the district is taking a targeted approach, shutting down programs that are specifically impacted by case increases. “Our strategies have been targeting specific programs, and sometimes within those specific programs, the specific levels of team within it,” said Paige.
The committee discussed a potential temporary reduction of fans to combat the growing increase. Paige explained that the district has limitations in its control on sports, with the hockey team playing at a private-owned facility not controlled by the district. In games that occur on school grounds, the principal stressed that the schools will try to limit crowds.
“We don’t want to go all or nothing, but obviously we’re seeing increased numbers across the school. We are going to take a little step back here and reduce crowd capacity a little bit, but at the same time, allow some family members and students to attend in a manageable way,” said Paige, who proposed that each athlete could have a maximum of four spectators.
The East Longmeadow School Committee will meet again on Jan. 17.