Due to the threat of the coronavirus, all Vineyard schools will close for two weeks, beginning Monday.
The list of Island closures and cancellations due to the threat of the coronavirus mounted Friday, including the announcement that all Vineyard schools would close for a two-week hiatus effective Monday.
“After consultation with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Department of Public Health, our local Boards of Health, our district physician and our school administration, I have decided that it would be in the best interest of the Island to cancel school and all extra-curricular activities for the next two weeks,” Superintendent Dr. Matthew D’Andrew said in a news release issued late in the day.
The announcement came on the heels of an order issued by Gov. Charlie Baker prohibiting gatherings in the state of over 250 people.
There were still no confirmed cases of the coronavirus on Martha’s Vineyard as of Friday afternoon, although statewide confirmed cases tripled from 6 to 18 since Thursday, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. In addition, the state reports 105 presumptive cases of covid-19. None of these are in Barnstable, Dukes, Plymouth or Nantucket counties.
Island schools have been reviewing their response to the coronavirus pandemic on a daily basis. In the news release, Mr. D’Andrea said the administrative team would be working over the weekend to plan possible online instruction and will be looking into plans for providing food for families.
“We will keep families posted on our education plan going forward,” the release said, adding that for the moment there is no schoolwork requirement.
Dr. Pete Steedman, head of the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School, said the decision to close that school was difficult.
“We have been in close conversation with our board of health agent,” Mr. Steedman said. “It is not a decision I take lightly. It will put a lot of pressure on our families. But I had to put the safety of our students and our staff first.”
Students at the charter school will not have mandatory lessons at home, he added, because there is no way to guaranteed differentiated education for all constituents online.
“We sent packets home with them today and there are optional enrichment activities online,” he said.
The Vineyard seemed to wake up to the risks of the virus this week, with the pace of closures and cancellations speeding up as the week came to a close. West Tisbury and Chilmark town halls are open only by appointment, Island libraries have canceled all activities and the West Tisbury Library has closed its doors. The Martha’s Vineyard Museum announced it will close through April 17, the YMCA will close until March 30 and Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary, Polly Hill Arboretum and the Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse are closed until further notice. The Tisbury town meeting is postponed, services at the First Congregational Church of West Tisbury, Federated Church of Edgartown and the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center are all canceled and the Harbor View Hotel said it had stopped accepting guests through April 2. The Gazette is maintaining a list of closures and updating the Calendar with event cancellations as they occur.
Steamship Authority communications director Sean Driscoll said the ferries will continue to run their normal operating schedules.
“I’ve heard some panicked calls about us not running, but we have no plans to shut down and have not been given any edict to stop or alter service,” he said.
Mr. Driscoll also said the SSA has not seen an increase in passengers traveling from Woods Hole to the Vineyard.
“I have not seen any dramatic spike. It’s a normal Friday, not the Fourth of July.”
Steve Bernier, owner of Cronig’s Markets, said he is consolidating his two stores, closing the up-Island store as of this evening in order to focus all its workforce at the Vineyard Haven store.
“We almost went out of control today,” Mr. Bernier said. “I don’t have enough of a crew. I decided we needed to get everyone under one roof.”
Mr. Bernier said he didn’t know how long he would be operating out of just one store.
“I have never been to war like this." he said. "It could be two to three days, two weeks, I have no idea."
Comments
i have a question and by no
Dana Mylott OAK BLUFFSi have a question and by no means want to sound weird. i believe we need to support anything that helps keep our community safe but what happens when families still need to work and can not stay home with their kids? what happens when people are out of school but still hanging out and being around each others at bars, restaurants or even just shopping? if other things stay open there is still a chance to catch it that way and bring it home and god forbid at the end of the two week shut down someone has it and gets into our schools. i only hope for the best case scenario and will support whatever keeps people safe but im not 100 percent sure this is the best answer while everything else is still in motion. should we be checking people coming onto the island at every level? perhaps we should have people stay in their cars when the come on the boat. maybe the steamship should be using misters to spray down the boats after people disembark the boat? there is so many things to consider when it comes to putting thing into motion to make it all work. what happens if we order a package and the virus can stay on a surface for 6 days and no one knows it until they have received their things and continued on with their lives. again i support my community and will support the idea they have to help keep everyone safe
Dana, good points. That is
Lorraine EdgartownDana, good points. That is the difficulty of quarantine and social separation in a society such as ours. Where does it start and where does it end? It will not be kept off the island, count on that. We need a community with herd immunity to all known diseases and we do not even have that on the island with many refusing vaccinations. The old expression, it is like herding cats, is true in this situation.
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