VIENNA — Last Friday the Phelps-Maries Health Department reported an alarming and sudden increase in the Covid-19 positive cases in Maries County, particularly in the Vienna area.

The health department said there were a total of 60 active cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, and of those 45 were in the Vienna area. As a comparison, Argyle/Meta had 3, Belle 2, Dixon 2, St. James 3 and Vichy 5.

Of the Vienna cases, the individuals affected ranged in age from four-years-old to 81-years-old. There were 11 cases in children 18-years-old and younger.

The Maries R-1 School District in Vienna, at the recommendation of the health department, was closed to students last Friday and will be closed all five days this week. Superintendent Mark Parker said there were eight teachers who tested positive or who were in close contact with someone who had. The students had positive tests results or close contact so that it closed all of the second grade classrooms, and half or a number of students in grades three, fourth, fifth, sixth and a high school student who tested positive took out 25 other students who had close contact. These students are in quarantine for 14 days.

Parker said there were no substitute teachers left and with the numbers where they were, the health department recommended they close the school for a week to try to get ahead of it. A tentative start date is set for Nov. 2. Later this week the school district will reevaluate the situation. School may remain closed for at least another week. Parker said he doesn’t want to inconvenience the families by students coming back to school, then having to close again if the virus numbers climb.

The objective being to avoid an immediate re-closure of the school due to a sudden spike in cases following the return to in-person learning.

At this time they don’t know what caused the spike in positive tests. Parker said the community has to work together to being down the numbers and if they become lax by not wearing masks, washing hands, and ignoring social distancing, then this will continue. “These masks really help us out,” he said.

For this week the students are learning remotely and healthy teachers are at school teaching remotely or recording their teaching. Students are receiving virtual instruction by using Zoom tied to Google Classroom. Those who needed a computer were given a device to use, one per family, for the virtual lessons. If there is more than one student in the home, they have to share the laptop and may log in at different times during the day. Teachers also are at school to answer student and parent questions.

The administration and health department will look at the virus trends later this week and make a decision that’s right for the students. Parker asked the community to help get things back to more normal and the kids back in school by obeying the health rules given to them by the professional science community.

The health department reported from Oct. 15 to Oct. 22, there was an increase of 56 cases or 643.9 cases per 100,000 population. Compare those numbers with the national rate per 100,000 population for the same time period at 18.5 cases, Missouri at 28.4 cases and Phelps County at 179.48 cases.

The health department said getting students back in school is an effort that will require full community support to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 and allow the school to safely reopen.  During this time of school closure, the health department requests that students not gather together during normal school hours, not spend time at each other’s households, not partake in sleepovers or parties, etc. These types of activities are counterproductive to closing the school. The department said they understand there are circumstances where this cannot be avoided such childcare while parents work, custody arrangements, etc. These arrangements should be consistent with the understanding that any movement from one household to another increases the risk of exposure to Covid-19 from someone outside your normal household.

In the United States last week, more than 73,000 new coronavirus infections were reported on Thursday, the highest one-day increase since July. Also, Covid-19 hospitalizations have risen in at least 38 states, a trend that cannot be explained by more widespread testing. It could be a harbinger of a hard winter ahead as America may be entering its worse stretch of the pandemic.