www.northhavencitizen.com
Friday, August 6, 2021
‘We can do this in a safe manner’
Most school COVID protocols likely to remain
Fall high school season remains on course to start on time and run in full
By Bryant Carpenter Record-Journal staff
are vaccinated, to again wear masks indoors
CHESHIRE — The calendar has flipped to August and dates are flashing along the Connecticut high school sports horizon like so many lighthouses.
That said, the CIAC remains on course to start the fall season on time and, with safety protocols again in place, to run it in full, complete with state championships.
August 12-14 for football team activites. Aug. 21 for the start of football practice. Aug. 26 for the other fall sports. Also flashing: the increase in COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant. Connecticut’s positivity rate has risen to over 2 percent and all of the state’s eight counties, as of Tuesday, are considered to have “substantial” community spread. Gov. Ned Lamont and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are advising people, even if they
By Michael Gagne Record-Journal staff
Education leaders throughout the area are preparing to resume in-person learning for all students this fall. But the new academic year does not mean returning to a full normal in school buildings just yet.
The CIAC was not caught by surprise by the changing COVID metrics. Nor, with the lessons learned from 2020-21, does it feel unprepared. “We have anticipated that we would be managing some elements of COVID at least through another year, but we feel we have a lot more information, a lot more data this year from the sports that we were able to play last year, and that we can safely compete,” CIAC See CIAC, A6
Students, staff members and visitors to area schools likely will be required to continue wearing masks. COVID-19 vaccination rates, though relatively strong in Connecticut, have slowed and are especially lagging nationwide. A vaccine has yet to be approved for inoculating The 2021 school year ended with local students and staff children younger than 12 wearing masks, and it appears that’s how they will return years old. to the halls this fall. Pictured: Members of the North All the while, the more conta-
MEDICARE Haven High School Class of 2021 celebrate during comENROLLMENT CAN mencement in June. See Protocols, A4 BE CONFUSING!
Officials urge mask use, even for the vaccinated The Connecticut Department of Public Health on Sunday issued an alert that strongly recommends all Connecticut residents over 2 years old wear face masks in indoor public spaces, whether they’re vaccinated or not, given the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks because of the delta variant. The warning came as all but
one of the state’s eight counties were classified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control as having “substantial transmission” of COVID19. The state’s only county with moderate transmission, Litchfield County, has a high likelihood of meeting the substantial threshold soon, the state department said. COVID-19 infection rates appear to be increasing in
NO COST MEDICARE GUIDANCE AND CONSULTING
some local communities. As of the week of July 24, Meriden had 31 cases reported, with 16 the week before, and an infection rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people. Wallingford had five or fewer cases reported both those weeks, with an infection rate of five or less per 100,000, according to the state’s See Vaccinated, A2
David MacNiven
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Volume 16, Number 32