Covid-19 has knocked the world off its feet. With recent infections, hospital admissions rising and death tolls climbing (300,000+ as of 15 December 2020), it’s becoming absolutely imperative that everyone follow through guidelines and regulations that health officials have set for us. Fortunately, Delbarton is managing reasonably well despite the rising numbers. Curious to see behind the scenes, I decided to have a conversation with our School Nurse, Mrs. McAuliffe. 

When asked about the school’s progress, Mrs. McAuliffe said that having the virtual week after Thanksgiving was extremely helpful as those who tested positive for the virus over break were able to attend classes due to the virtual learning.  As a result, not only were there no Covid cases, but no contract tracing was needed which was definitely the right kind of positive that everyone wanted to see. When asked how this was all possible, she responded that the entire Delbarton community made sure to do their part to ensure that everyone is safe. She added that the great news is that there was zero in-school transmission in the 14 weeks we’ve been in-person at school so far, with only four scattered days of virtual learning and one week of full virtual. While the pandemic presentes an uncertainty for everyone, Mrs. McAullife and the Delbarton administrative team were able to take full stance and guide everyone through. 

Continuing on, I asked her one of the most important questions: how can we stay safe during the winter? She told me that to limit our contact as best as we can, we must follow health officials’ guidelines, protect our elderly family members and citizens. She also stressed the importance of staying away from the flu, like any other year, but even more so this year. 

While finishing our conversation, she wished for everyone to have an open mind and enjoy every day and moment because the last 10 months have not been so forgiving to people around the world.  Although the newly developed vaccines promise hope for the future, our best course for the winter and spring is to “stay the course” with social distancing, mask wearing and frequent washing and sanitizing of our hands.

I just want to personally thank Mrs. McAullife and the Delbarton team for making sure that our community is a safe place for everyone to come everyday. Good luck to all and remember: Be alert, not anxious.