Gloucester Twp. Schools Ready For Quick Pivot Amid COVID-19 Spike

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — Parents of students in the Gloucester Township K-8 Public School District should be prepared for the possibility of “a relatively quick and temporary transition to an early dismissal schedule,” due to rising COVID-19 case numbers, school officials said this week.

“Gloucester Township Schools remain committed to safe in-person instruction,” Superintendent John Bilodeau said in a letter to the community. “Rising case numbers and absences from staff and students have put a strain on our ability to provide sufficient coverage for all classes.”

The district said it will continue to monitor the situation, and that it continues to follow the guidelines of the New Jersey Department of Health for staff and student quarantine as well as safe operation of the schools.

The news comes as the Black Horse Pike Regional School District is in the midst of a week of remote-learning due to the spike in cases. Read more here: Black Horse Pike Schools Go Virtual Amid COVID-19 Surge

Earlier this week, Gov. Phil Murphy reiterated that the state has no plans to shut down schools the way it did in March 2020. Read more here: Close NJ Schools? Murphy Says No Amid COVID-19 'Tsunami'

During a news conference on Wednesday, Camden County Assistant Public Health Coordinator Caryelle Lasher said the county health department is working with school districts individually to discuss safety measures.

She said they will also meet with superintendents countywide to discuss what the "test-to-stay" program might look like in each district.

The program combines contact tracing and serial testing to allow students to continue in-person learning during after being exposed to COVID-19 as an alternative to traditional quarantining. Serial testing is defined as testing twice over a seven-day period. Read more here: Quarantining NJ Students Can Stay In School Under Pilot Program

While Murphy didn’t name any schools in the county that might qualify for a pilot program the state will soon be launching, some school districts have expressed interest in it, Lasher said.

Over the last week, Camden County has seen about 1,100 new coronavirus cases per day, and more than 1,100 Camden County residents are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, according to officials. Fourteen coronavirus-related deaths were reported in Camden County last week.

On Wednesday, there were 1,477 new cases reported countywide, including 176 in Gloucester Township. Since the pandemic began, there have been 79,696 cases and 1,408 deaths countywide.

“As cases continue to surge here in Camden County, we need every resident to take all proper precautions when it comes to protecting yourself against this virus,” Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. said. “Get tested, we have expanded testing sites across the county, mask up when you’re in public and stay home if you’re not feeling well. And most importantly, get vaccinated. Those who contract the virus and are unvaccinated run the risk of getting severely ill or dying from the virus. We’ve seen it happen over and over, so please don’t wait any longer, get vaccinated and get your booster. You can make an appointment for your first or second dose or your booster shot at the Camden County Health Hub by visiting www.CamdenCountyVaccine.com.”

The new testing sites and times are located below:

• Testing is available at the Health Hub located at Camden County College’s Blackwood campus from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays by appointment only.
• Starting on Jan. 6, at the Health Hub no appointment will be needed on Thursdays from 8 to 11 a.m. This will be a saliva test.
• On Tuesdays the county Health Department will be administering testing at the Charles DePalma Public Works complex from 8 to 11 a.m. This will be a saliva test.
• Beginning on Jan. 5, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays the county Health Department will be administering testing from 8 to 11 a.m. at the Camden County Complex located at 2600 Mt. Ephraim Avenue in Camden City. This will be a saliva test and no appointment is needed.

• Testing is available at Cooper University Hospital, which is located the intersection of Broadway and Stevens Street in Camden, from 9:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
• Cooper Specialty Care at Cherry Hill will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. This is by appointment only and you must be asymptomatic to be tested.
• You can schedule your COVID-19 test at Cooper by using our online scheduling tool at this link.

Remember, for all saliva test takers, please do not eat or drink anything for 30 minutes prior to taking the test.

In addition to these county testing options the state Department of Health is also offering a mail in option. They have partnered with the same test provider, Vault Medical Services, to distribute free, at home COVID-19 tests by mail to all residents who need them. The new program is in addition to traditional testing operated at designated testing sites.

You can order a test by going to learn.vaulthealth.com/nj. The kits are shipped through UPS with next-day delivery and once you receive it, you will hold a Zoom call with a Vault health care professional to guide you through the test and answer your questions. You then send the test back in pre-paid packaging through UPS’ next-day delivery and you must drop off the package at a UPS site or dropbox. Results should be back to you within 24 to 48 hours.

New operational hours at the Camden County Health Hub’s vaccine clinic have been implemented. The hub is now open 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursdays.

To date, 386,089 Camden County residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 335,500 are fully vaccinated and 133,633 have received a third dose. More information regarding vaccination rates throughout the county and available on the state’s COVID-19 dashboard at covid19.nj.gov.

The Camden County Health Department is continuing to closely track new cases of COVID-19 and information regarding the prevalence of the Delta variant. New cases are often reassigned to other municipalities over the course of an investigation.