How We Prepare For the Coronavirus

As we look towards this coming summer, it’s important to address every family’s main concern: the coronavirus. The virus, officially named “COVID-19” by the World Health Organization (WHO) last month has already had a massive impact on the world, and a possible endpoint is still uncertain.

At this time Boston Roundtable is still planning to hold our summer programs. However, as a provider of education services, we have an obligation to keep students and parents informed, as well as maintain strong safety protocols in our programs. In this blog post, we will discuss the rise of the illness, how Boston Roundtable plans to address it, and how the spread can be controlled by individuals. 

Community and Global Spread

COVID-19 originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019. In its first month, its spread was mostly confined to China and surrounding Asian countries, as well as a few isolated cases in other countries. While China has now reported that their situation is stabilizing, the spread of the virus is on an upswing in many other countries. In particular, the United States, Iran, Italy, Japan, and South Korea have each confirmed over 1,000 cases.

Source: Humanistic GIS Lab at the University of Washington

Perhaps one of the most dangerous aspects of the virus is the delayed onset of symptoms. According to the CDC, COVID-19’s symptoms can begin to occur in patients as late as 14 days after exposure, meaning someone may be carrying the illness long before they know they have it. This potential late onset paves the way for a “community spread,” where someone who has not recently been to a contaminated area may still contract the virus via contact with an unknowing carrier. The community spread concept has already been reported in Seattle and the larger Pacific Northwest, one of the major hotbeds for the virus in the United States.

How We Plan to Address the Spread

Although data on COVID-19 is still developing, there is currently no evidence that suggests children are more susceptible to the virus than adults. Nevertheless, the standard-US school system in which students move from classroom to classroom (as opposed to teachers) has the potential to make students unknowing vectors in the spreading of illnesses. Student health is to be handled with great concern, and areas where students gather should be closely monitored. 

For camps and youth programs, there is an especially serious responsibility to identify the virus and contain its spread. Earlier this month, the Association of Camp Nursing (ACN) released an FAQ sheet discussing COVID-19 as well as its implications for camps. Among their recommendations, they advocate for stricter sanitation measures and isolation policies from camp directors, as well as clear communication from parents about students’ health status. In accordance with their document, we are implementing the following policies in our programs:

• New Prior to Camp Policies:
  • Pomfret Date Change: Our Summer S.T.E.A.M. Camp at Pomfret has now been pushed back three weeks to August 2-15, 2020. We hope this extra bridge of time will make the program more viable for both international and domestic students.
  • New Enrollment Information: Our enrollment and application pages now ask questions about travel history, whether they are showing symptoms of the virus, how their school system has responded to the virus, and more. Boston Roundtable staff will also actively monitor news alerts for school systems of enrolled students for any updates on closings and diagnosed community members.
  • Before Camp-Review: At the time of submitting required immunization information, parents will also be required to submit a new form for their student providing an update on both their personal health status as well as those around them.  
• First Day of Camp Policies:
  • Temperature: Before opening orientation, all students will be required to have their temperature taken by the onsite nurse. Any students with a fever as well as other perceptible symptoms will immediately be isolated. Parents, if still on campus, will be required to escort them home. 
  • Health Review: Our opening orientation will include a review 
• Day-to-Day Policies:
  • Hand-washing: Hand washing will be mandatory at the beginning and end of all meals, as well as all classes that require extensive shared use of materials (i.e. forensic science). 
• Isolation Policies:
  • If one person in a class begins to show symptoms of COVID-19, they will immediately be removed from the classroom and isolated with a nurse who will assess their condition. If COVID-19 seems to be a likely possibility, parents will be contacted for immediate pickup.
• Shutdown Policies:
  • If one person in a class begins to show symptoms of COVID-19, the class will immediately be cancelled and all associated students sent home. 
  • If symptoms appear in multiple classes, the program will immediately be shut down and all students sent home.
  • In the event of program shutdown, the following policies will be implemented:
    • Day Students: All families of day students will be immediately contacted for pickup. Any students showing symptoms of COVID-19 will be isolated from the other students and required to wait for their parent separate from the rest of the group.
    • Residential Students: Students will be sequestered in their dorm rooms with any students showing symptoms of COVID-19 separated from the rest of the group. With consent of parents, symptomatic students will be taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. All families of residential students will be contacted with the recommendation that their child be picked up as soon as possible. However, Boston Roundtable will keep dorms open as well as staff and dining services constant until the program’s intended end date in the case of long-distance students whose transportation cannot be easily arranged. Boston Roundtable staff will enforce regimented dorm patrol to ensure students are separating themselves and exhibiting appropriate sanitation and hygiene methods.
    • International Students: Any international student showing symptoms of COVID-19 will be isolated from the other students and immediately taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Asymptomatic students will be stationed with the other residential students. All immediate contacts for students (either families or agencies) will be contacted with the recommendation that transportation be arranged for their student(s) as soon as possible. However, Boston Roundtable will keep dorms open as well as staff and dining services constant until the program’s intended end date due to the complex nature of organizing international transportation. Boston Roundtable staff will enforce regimented dorm patrol to ensure students are separating themselves and exhibiting appropriate sanitation and hygiene methods.
  • Based on technology availability and demand, individual classes may be continued as web courses via Zoom conferencing.
• Refund Policies:
  • Students who exit the program due to illness will be refunded a percentage of their enrollment based on how much of the program they participated in. For example, the family of a day student participating in weekend activities who was sent home on the fifth day of the program will be refunded 58.3% of their enrollment fee (for seven out of twelve days missed).
  • Students whose parents submitted inaccurate or exaggerated information about the students’ health status with respect to COVID-19 prior to the start of the program will not be refunded their enrollment fee. ​

Preventative Measures and Flattening the Curve

Regardless of whether you are a parent, a student, or neither, it’s easy to feel a sense of futility when reading news on the virus. Nevertheless, it’s important that citizens practice extreme caution both in their day-to-day interactions and also in their personal sanitation methods. Diagnosed cases of widespread viruses can typically be visualized as an “epidemic curve” which builds to a maximum number of cases diagnosed, then gradually tapers off. The shape of the curve can vary, however it is generally observed that when citizens and the health department take protective measures, the onset of active cases is slowed, effectively “flattening” the curve. 

• Flattening the curve stretches out the timeline of the illness, but also limits the peaks of active cases in a given time period. This helps hospitals since it slows the influx of patients and allows for better allocation of resources. The people most vulnerable to COVID-19 are older adults, as well as individuals with heart disease, diabetes, and lung disease, so persons outside of those demographics should make every effort to avoid contact with the virus in order to keep hospitals uncongested. 

According to CDC, the best preventative steps to incorporate into day-to-day life are as follows:

• Clean Your Hands: Wash hands with soap and water frequently, especially after interactions with others as well as after coughing or sneezing. Don’t forget to wash for at least 20 seconds and avoid touching the eyes and mouth with unwashed hands. Hand sanitizer is useful, but should be used as a supplemental measure and not in place of washing hands. Effective hand sanitizers should also contain at least 60% alcohol.
• Avoid Close Contact: If someone nearby appears to be sick, contact with them should be avoided as much as possible. In communities with already-diagnosed cases, it’s precautionary to avoid densely-packed areas. 
• Stay Home if You Are Sick: Unless to get medical attention, stay home if feeling unwell and avoid contact with others.
• Cover Coughs and Sneezes: Although this is already considered to be good etiquette by many, it’s more important than ever to prevent the spread of airborne germs by covering coughs and sneezes using either your elbow or a tissue (not your bare hand). It also recommended to immediately wash hands after sneezing or coughing.
• Face Masks: The CDC recommends that face masks be worn by sick persons, but are not necessarily required for healthy persons unless they are caregiving for a sick person. Since masks continue to be in short supply, it is recommended that priority be given to caregivers.  
• Clean and Disinfect Surfaces: Frequently-touched surfaces such as doorknobs, lightswitches, tabletops, and faucets should be regularly wiped down and disinfected. Lingering germs on these surfaces may also be a potential source of community spread.​

Moving Forward

Of course, the rapid spread of the coronavirus means that reports about it as well as dependent protocols are constantly being modified. Since the publication of ACN’s document, the WHO has officially declared the coronavirus a pandemic, US president Donald Trump has declared a National State of Emergency, and the NBA has suspended its season after confirming the diagnosis of one player. As of this past Monday, more than 380 schools in the US have closed, affecting an estimated 260,000 students. As such, it is up to all education systems and organizations that work with children to closely monitor the situation and modify policies accordingly as we get closer to summer. Until then, please join us in practicing strong personal sanitary measures and avoiding the spread of the virus.