Gilford school employee under quarantine

GILFORD — An employee of the Gilford School District is under quarantine after riding in a bus with someone who tested positive for coronavirus, Superintendent Kirk Beitler said Tuesday.

The staff member boarded the bus after returning from a vacation in the United States. Everybody who was on that bus is now in quarantine. The person on the bus who tested positive had traveled to Italy.

The school district employee is healthy, not showing flu-like symptoms and doesn’t plan to be tested. The quarantine is set to end on Sunday.

Prior to being asked by state health officials to go under quarantine, the staff member had been in all of the school facilities.

Statewide, two cases have been diagnosed and another three people have tested positive for the virus, the Health and Human Services Department said. Results are pending for eight others and 44 people have tested negative. In New Hampshire, a total of 225 people are being monitored for the virus, also called COVID-19.

Globally, there have been about 110,000 confirmed cases and 3,800 deaths, according to the World Health Organization.

Parents advised

Beitler posted a letter on the school’s website.

“Please be reassured that we are not aware of anyone who is sick with COVID-19 in the Gilford School District,” he wrote.

“Students and staff members that have health concerns should monitor their well being closely and always seek medical attention if anyone feels that their health is compromised.”

Meanwhile, the 1,150-student district is planning school as usual, although officials are discussing whether or not to hold some planned field trips.

Contingency plans

Beitler said it’s a fluid situation.

“It’s changing hour to hour and day to day,” he said. “I don’t think we’ve reached the peak and nobody has their sights on the end of it either.”

He said district officials are having conversations regarding contingency plans.

“If the Gilford School District were to close for an extended period of time this direction would come from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services,” he said in his letter. “We would work closely with DHHS on communication and the length of our closure. If this were the case we would use some of that time for Blizzard Bag work, but we would also work with the Gilford School Board and New Hampshire Department of Education to consider the days missed from school and our best path forward.”

He said the district is not set up for instruction through video conferencing, but that’s something that’s being discussed as well.

At the Inter-Lakes School District, superintendent Mary Moriarty said unnecessary travel will be avoided and some field trips have been postponed. 

She said a workshop day will be held Thursday to allow staff to “train and create online learning environments.”

“This is not because we have any current or predicted known issues with COVID-19,” she said. “It is because we are aware that schools throughout our country are encouraged to have plans in place should there be a reason that necessitates an extended closure.”

Community college

A number of universities across the country have closed campus classrooms as the virus has spread.

In Laconia, Larissa Baia, president of Lakes Region Community College, said the school has contingency plans and is assessing implementation options.

"We have encouraged our faculty to think about the remaining coursework for the semester and to make plans for online delivery and accommodations for students as appropriate," she said.

Meanwhile, the playoff game the Laconia High School boys basketball team was scheduled to play at Hollis-Brookline High School in Hollis on Monday was postponed after Hollis-Brookline officials learned that an employee, who worked in another school in the district, was being tested for COVID-19.

As a result all Hollis-Brookline buildings were closed to allow workers to "disinfect high risk areas within the buildings," Laconia Superintendent Steve Tucker said.

The test showed the Hollis-Brookline employee did not have coronavirus, and the game was to be played Tuesday evening.

Travel affected

Kim Terrio, vice president of the Penny Pitou Travel agency in Laconia, said many people don't want to fly for fear of catching the disease.

"It's devastating," she said. "When essentially our friends at the CDC and the World Health Organization, say don't travel, absolutely, we're canceling a lot of travel."

Late winter and spring is a popular time for travel, including cruises and land tours.

The agency was booking a high-end trip to Israel, but the client backed out. Israel has imposed a requirement that people arriving in the country must undergo a 14-day quarantine.

"All this means a loss of income on the work we've already done, which is distressing," Terrio said. "It's huge for us."

Some people, particularly seasoned travelers, are still comfortable taking trips, Terrio said.

"I also totally understand people who are nervous," she said. "We tell them, 'If you aren't comfortable, then don't go.'"

Many airlines and cruise companies are being lenient on cancellation penalties in view of the situation, she said.

"I've been doing this for 40 years and I've never seen anything like this," she said. "Even 9/11 in some way was easier to comprehend. This is mind boggling for me, but we'll get through it. When people get the green light to travel, they'll come back fast and furious."