Sparta Coronavirus Update

 By Kavya Kamath

At the time of writing this article, Sparta school district has, only a few hours prior, released the news that Sparta Schools will be operating with a “primarily remote instructional model” from November 23rd to January 15th. This decision is a “preventative and proactive measure” regarding the upcoming Holiday season and the resulting increase in covid cases expected, as well as the the NJ Department Health’s reclassification of the Northwest region of New Jersey (Morris, Passaic, Sussex, and Warren County) from a “yellow” zone, where there is “moderate risk “of covid contraction, to an “orange” zone, where there is “high risk” of covid contraction. 

Zoning risk assessment is performed by the NJ Department of Health (NJDH) weekly, and is determined by “number of cases in the past week, percent positivity past week and syndromic surveillance in the past week.” 

Recently the Northwest has been reclassified as orange, and this is before the holiday season really kicks in. Family gatherings, colder weather, and increased travel are all expected to contribute to another wave of covid, and the region is highly likely to progress back into the “red” zone, where risk is described by the NJDH as “very high” and it is highly “recommended that [school districts] implement fully remote learning.”  

And, while this is disappointing most especially for the SHS Class of ‘21, if not every single one of us who want to go back to school, this measure to close schools physically is the smart one, as it will prevent spread of covid-19 and unnecessary upheaval of the Sparta community. Still, it’s sad to see that school as we know it still won’t be returning to ‘normal’ anytime in the near future.

Sources:

NJDH: https://www.nj.gov/health/news/2020/approved/20200813a.shtml

November 19, 2020, Covid-19 Health Recommendations: https://www.state.nj.us/health/cd/documents/topics/NCOV/RecommendationsForLocalHealthDepts_K12Schools.pdf