THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, July 3, 2020 Page 9 Northeast Metro Tech shares state guidelines for reopening in the fall W AKEFIELD – Superintendent David DiBarri wishes to share the initial state guidelines from Gov. Charlie Baker and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) for the 202021 academic year, which will be modified as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. While prioritizing health and safety as well as getting as many students back in school as possible, districts across the state will now begin to develop three different plans: one for learning entirely in person, one for a hybrid model that includes in person and remote learning in the event that in person learning is not feasible due to space constraints and other concerns, and one for remote learning only should there be a second spike in COVID-19 cases regionally. These plans will be created by a task force of district officials, teachers, staff, students and parents and submitted to DESE in the coming weeks. The final plan for the district will be announced in August. Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational High School is waiting on further guidance this July, including information on transportation and busing for the coming school year, and will provide updates to students and their families as soon as it becomes available. “I’d like to thank students, families, faculty and staff for remaining patient as we’ve navigated these uncharted waters; we still don’t know what the fall will look like precisely, but these guidelines create the possibility for us to safeThe Coronavirus Count Malden has 29th highest rating in state for COVID-19 O ver the past week, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Malden increased from 1,222 to 1,237 cases – a 1.2 percent increase, according to the latest weekly city/town cases available Wednesday. Malden has the 29th highest rate for COVID-19 in the state, with an average of 1,825.73 cases per 100,000. Of the 8,303 people who were tested for COVID-19, 14.90 percent tested positive for the virus. People can compare the number of COVID-19 cases confirmed in Malden to the number in neighboring cities and towns as well as communities of similar size by going to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) website at https:// www.mass.gov/info-details/ covid-19-response-reporting -- click on COVID-19 cases by city/town. Chelsea (7,816.28 per 100,000), Brockton (4,300.33 per 100,000) and Lawrence (4,029.45 per 100,000) have the highest rates in the state for people testing positive for COVID-19. Here’s how nine other area communities compare to Malden: Lynn: 3,635 cases, 3,602.46 per 100,000 (5th highest in state). Revere: 1,782 cases, 2,925.32 per 100,000 (6th highest in state). Everett: 1,765 cases, 3,636.45 per 100,000 (4th highest in state). Malden: 1,237 cases, 1,825.73 per 100,000 (29th highest in state). Peabody: 984 cases, 1,764.52 per 100,000. Saugus: 556 cases, 1,956.00 per 100,000 (21st highest in state). Wakefield: 314 cases, 1,162.76 per 100,000. Melrose: 245 cases, 847.10 per 100,000. Reading: 296 cases, 1,076.99 per 100,000. Lynnfield: 95 cases, 815.52 per 100,000. Statewide totals: 103,858 cases, 1,490.76 per 100,000. (Data compiled by DPH and made public as of July 1, 2020 count and rate [per 100,000] of confirmed COVID-10 Cases in Massachusetts by city/town, January 1, 2020–July 1, 2020.) On its website, the DPH noted that the rate specifying the number of cases per 100,000 “provides a standardized way to compare the burden of disease in cities and towns regardless of the size of their population.” The DPH stressed “these are reported cases only.” ly welcome students back to school in-person, which would be wonderful,” DiBarri said. “We’re going to be analyzing our facility in alignment with these guidelines this summer and carefully crafting plans to prepare for what the fall may bring, and will provide regular updates to the Northeast community as we receive more information.” Guidelines that must be part of these plans include: • Setting up cafeterias, gyms, libraries and other large spaces to promote the greatest amount of social distancing possible • Requiring students from second grade on, and all adults, to wear a face mask, face covering or face shield while learning in person and while riding on the school bus; these should be provided by the student/ family, but the district will have a limited amount of disposable masks to provide students who need them • Providing other preventative measures for students and staff, such as handwashing stations and hand sanitizer, and cleaning frequently touched surfaces • Having school nurses wear extra protection, such as face shields and goggles, when directly treating students; a room should also be designated to isolate those at the school who are suspected of having COVID-19 • Determining class size based on how many students can be taught with social distancing in place, with desks anywhere from three to six feet away from each other • Strongly recommending that students, teachers and staff get their regular flu vaccine in order to prevent any disruption to learning. • Surveying families throughout the summer (and possibly the school year) to help with decisions, such as which children will return to school in person, technology needs of students learning remotely and who will need bus transportation in order to get to school At this time, screening procedures to enter school buildings, such as taking a person’s temperature, will not be required. 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