Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update & Other Reminders – November 6, 2020

Happy Aloha Friday Saint Mark Parents!

I hope and pray you are doing well.  I am writing with the latest updates & reminders.

COMMUNITY CONDITIONS 
Current Numbers
The 7-day state average of reported daily new cases is 95 (72 on O`ahu) and the 7-day state average of the positivity rate is 2.2% (2.9% on O`ahu).

Last Week’s Numbers
The 7-day state average of reported daily new cases was 87 (49 on O`ahu) and the 7-day state average of the positivity rate was 2.0% (2.0% on O`ahu).  

The current numbers which are available on the Hawaii Data Collaborative are trending slightly higher from last week, so let’s all please do our part to keep the metrics low and prevent another surge.

IMPACT/ALERT LEVELS
The state of Hawai`i is at impact level YELLOW (Act with Care – Minor Disruption) of its Reopening Navigator; the City and County of Honolulu is in TIER 2 (ORANGE) of its Honolulu Reopening Strategy; and Saint Mark is at level GREEN in its Reopening Campus Plan.

OUT-OF-STATE TRAVEL
As we look ahead to our upcoming Christmas break, I would like to reiterate our travel policy and provide some clarity/guidance for those considering out-of-state travel.

The Hawaii State Department of Transportation enables travelers to avoid a mandatory 14-day quarantine if they are tested within 72 hours of their flight to Hawaii with an FDA-approved nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) and can show proof of a negative test result.  The State of Hawaii will ONLY accept test results from TRUSTED TESTING AND TRAVEL PARTNERS. Please see the list at https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel-partners/

As was explained previously, Saint Mark Lutheran School amended its travel policy on October 15, 2020 to include a further requirement in order to return to campus.  This additional requirement of a second test is to help better ensure the health and safety of our school community. The exact wording of the Saint Mark out-of-state travel policy from page 9 of the Reopening Campus Plan is as follows:  

• If a Saint Mark student or any member of a student’s household returns from out-of-state travel and is not subject to a State-mandated quarantine because he/she took a 72-hour pre-travel COVID-19 test, the student must still remain off campus for 14 days unless he/she receives an additional negative COVID-19 test taken at least 5 days following his/her arrival on O’ahu. 

Please know that it is the school’s expectation that students return to school on January 4, 2021.  If families are traveling or considering traveling out-of-state over the break, our school travel policy requirements mean that they must plan to return to O`ahu with time for quarantine and/or testing.  It would be good to consider backward planning and allotting enough time to factor in potential hindrances such as delayed testing results.  This would mean that one should plan to arrive on O`ahu no later than Monday, December 28 and take a second COVID-19 test on Saturday, January 2 (5 days after arrival), in order to return to the classroom on Monday, January 4.  Negative test results must be given to the school for approval before students are permitted to return to campus.  If unable to start on January 4th due to travel-related reasons, please be sure to let the school know as soon as possible. 

MASKS REMINDER
It’s imperative that the masks fit correctly and be worn properly (fitting snugly and fully covering the mouth and nose) if they are to provide the type of protection they are designed to provide. The office has a variety of children’s masks available (free of charge) for any students who may need one. The New York Times recently published a fun and informative interactive animation entitled Masks Work. Really that parents and students might find interesting. 

READY TO PIVOT BACK to DISTANCE LEARNING
Saint Mark Lutheran School remains very attentive to the fluidity of this pandemic and will continue to carefully monitor the daily data.  While we will not be overly reactive to expected variance in community conditions, we need to be ready to quickly pivot back (cohorts or larger groups) to distance learning should a student or staff member test positive or community conditions dramatically worsen again.  

VETERAN’S DAY – No School
There is no school next Wednesday, November 11 in observance of Veteran’s Day.  Mahalo to all of our veterans for their service to our country!

Thank you for your time and support!

Please do not hesitate to contact the school office should you have any questions.  

Mahalo, Blessings and Stay Safe this Weekend,

David Gaudi
Head of School