With the holiday season just around the corner, concerns about rising Covid-19 cases are becoming more frequent. In Connecticut, Covid-19 cases rose to the thousands in November, and in New Haven County specifically, December has seen around 732 new cases.

     Due to new Covid-19 variants, such as Omicron and Delta, the holiday season is threatened by rising variant counts. To counteract this, agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continue to publish rules and restrictions to address such concerns. 

     According to various studies conducted by the CDC, “Data from surface survival studies indicate that a 99% reduction in infectious SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses can be expected under typical indoor environmental conditions within 3 days (72 hours) on commons surfaces like stainless steel, plastic, and glass.” 

     A helpful tip from principal Mr. Max Berkowitz for this holiday season is following the mitigation strategy all Milford schools follow. It includes wearing masks and practicing hand hygiene and social distancing. 

     It is important to be aware of the health concerns that come with  seasonal gatherings. Around this same time last year, Foran went fully online due to the growing Covid-19 outbreak across the country.

     Looking back a year later, Connecticut schools have come a long way from last year’s Covid-19 conditions, and Berkowitz says there is no plan of going back online. 

     To live up to those expectations and ensure everyone’s safety, it is important to stay aware of the symptoms of Covid-19. If anyone is feeling sick, they should restrict themselves from coming back to school. 

     Berkowitz also reminds people celebrating the holiday season to heed warnings from the Milford Public Schools and other government agencies regarding Covid-19 this holiday season.

     Junior Jackson Volovski says, “Due to the volatility of the pandemic, I think there is always going to be a Covid shutdown but I hope there’s no ill effects from the holidays.” 

     Volovski is not the only person with this mindset, so the Milford Public Schools district has changed their restrictions so everyone feels safe. Covid-19 restrictions are predicted to not tighten during this time since schools have already been preparing for a new Covid-19 surge. 

     As the year progresses and Covid-19 continues, Foran keeps aiming to protect the student body against any chance of getting infected by Covid-19. 

     Luckily, Foran is cleaned daily, so any chance of Covid-19 staying on any surface is obsolete. As the year progresses here at Foran,  the rest of the school administration  will continue to prevent Covid-19 and variants from contaminating the schools.