GOWANDA –Superintendent Dr. Robert Anderson addressed some changes that have been made in regard to COVID-19 protocols. As of last week, Anderson said the school currently has 24 positive cases, with another 23 students in quarantine.

“It’s a lot, based on what we were experiencing at this time last year,” Anderson said. “But it’s down from the last report. Hopefully this new wave is trending down for us.”

Anderson noted there has been constant communication from the Departments of Health answering questions, though not always cleanly. Each memo sent out only raises more questions on how to operate, which has caused some uncertainty within school districts.

“It’s made your head swivel the last two weeks,” he said. “But there seems to be a shift in strategy statewide, where emphasis is now on testing and monitoring and less on measuring quarantine. I think the rationale is that our area is saturated with COVID so those mitigations aren’t necessarily effective at this point in time.”

Due to those mitigation strategies, such as mask wearing and hand washing, Anderson said the school is pretty low risk, and they are doing their best to follow all additional guidance.

One big shift in guidance is that, in the last couple weeks,,Anderson said they are no longer in the “contact tracing business,” as per the Department of Health. When COVID began and there was a positive case, Gowanda’s nursing staff would notify the Department of Health, who would then issue orders of quarantine or isolation.

Now, though, they have been overwhelmed, which has put schools in a difficult situation.

“People would like to know if they have been in contact with a positive,” Anderson said. “We will probably still be notifying folks if they’ve been in contact with a positive.”

While some schools in Chautauqua County have begun the “Test to Stay” program, Cattaraugus County does not support it, meaning that the Gowanda Middle and High School is unable to do it. Erie County, however, allows it, but they won’t allow schools to use their limited service laboratory license.

“We’ve had a hard time authorizing the test,” said Anderson. “You have to be associated with a clinical laboratory to do that. They won’t allow us for liability reasons.”

Anderson added that Cattaraugus County held a vaccination clinic, where 85 people got their first round of COVID-19 vaccines. That will be back in three weeks for the second round.