Two Belfast schools are in outbreak status, the Regional School Unit 71 said Tuesday.
More than 15 percent of staff and students are out sick at Troy Howard Middle School and Capt. Albert Stevens Elementary School, according to Laura Miller, assistant superintendent at Regional School Unit 71.
A notice from the district said illnesses include RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), Influenza A, hand, foot and mouth disease, strep throat, and COVID-19.
Districts are required to report more than 15 percent of absences in one school at a time, according to Maine Department of Health and Human Services Communication Director Jackie Farwell. Schools are placed in outbreak status when those absences are due to one type of illness, she said.
However, a notice from the district said illnesses include RSV, Influenza A, hand, foot and mouth disease, strep throat, and COVID-19 were the reasons for students’ absences.
“It’s a little bit of everything,” Miller said.
Belfast’s increase in illnesses is reflective of the overall trend in Maine. More than 1,700 cases of influenza were reported in Maine for the week ending Friday, Dec. 3, according to Maine CDC data. Of those cases, 61 were in Waldo County, up from 35 cases on Nov. 26 and 10 on Nov. 19.
The district is now recommending that staff and students at both the elementary and middle schools practice social distancing, frequent hand washing, optional mask wearing, and staying home when sick, as recommended by CDC guidelines. There are no current plans to reinstate a mask mandate, Miller said, though she didn’t rule it out for the future.
Farwell said the Maine CDC is also encouraging parents, students, teachers and staff to get vaccinations for the flu and COVID-19.
The district also doesn’t plan to transition to remote learning at this time either. Miller said the district, board of directors and CDC will weigh the decision to temporarily transition to remote learning for students on a case by case basis.
“We just have to keep watching the numbers to see. Obviously, we want what’s best for all of our students and what’s best for our staff and our community,” Miller said.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated who confirmed the outbreak. It was Regional School Unit 71.