The past four months have felt as though we have been living in a protective bubble. While Covid-19 has been striking other parts of Connecticut, and the U.S. at large, here in Old Lyme we have been relatively unscathed. Incidence in town, until recently, has been very low. Low levels of incidence have allowed us to return to school with a full weekly in-person schedule, and to go on with life in a relatively normal manner. Athletics and clubs have continued this fall with some adaptation, which, while not ideal, has certainly generated eager participation and enjoyment. Many of our neighboring schools have been forced to close periodically this fall as result of student, or staff, Covid positivity. Old Lyme, however, has not. We only recently had our own student identifiable cases and contact quarantining. On November 12, the CT Department of Public Health released data that shows a clear local spike. For the two weeks prior to November 12th, 13 new cases were identified in town! Before this the largest weekly incidence in town was 3 cases identified in the week of April 15 . Despite surrounding towns being coded red (having 15 or more cases per population of 100,000 per day), Old Lyme has remained blissfully in the yellow (the lowest coding, with only 5-9 cases per 100,000 per day). That has now changed, we are presently coded as orange with 10-14 cases per 100,000 per day. This should serve as an immediate and direct warning to the school community to remain vigilant. We have had an easy time so far, leading many to become a tad lackadaisical, but now is the time to review and refresh our Covid behaviors and protocols. It not only helps to protect those we care about, but also allows us to remain together as a school community. Rising numbers directly endanger our ability to come to school daily. Let’s keep those numbers down! Use the district’s daily health screening tool available on the district website. Additionally, CT Department of Public Health would like to remind everyone of the 3 W’s: Wear your mask, Wash your hands, and Watch your distance!