By Rich Larson, News Director
More than nine months after the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Northfielders can finally get tested for the virus whenever they would like.
The Northfield Hospital & Clinics have announced that they have expanded their testing program to anyone who wants a test. The hospital said they are no longer requiring that a person be symptomatic or have a known exposure to a confirmed case of Covid-19.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the hospital said as community spread increases and the virus spreads through asymptomatic people, wider testing helps to identify those carriers.
The hospital is requiring an appointment for testing. Those without symptoms can schedule a test-only appointment, or with a provider. Test-only patients whose results do come back positive, or later develop symptoms, can schedule a follow up appointment with a provider.
The amount of time it takes to get results will depend on lab capacity. Those who do test positive will not be tested again for 90 days.
The statement also reminded everybody that there is still no plan to start vaccinating the general public. Right now, the vaccine is being given to those in the “Priority 1-A” category, which includes front-line health care providers and residents of nursing homes, and it’s estimated that it could take up to two months to vaccinate this group. The state and federal governments control the schedule for vaccinations, and they will announce when the vaccine is more widely available.
For more information on COVID care through NH+C, visit northfieldhospital.org/covid-19
Hillmann details Return to Campus, transmission mitigation details
Last week the Northfield Public School District published the Return to Campus plan for bringing students out of distance learning and allowing them back into the classrooms.
Northfield School Superintendent Dr. Matt Hillmann said that with the return, the Minnesota Department of Health is requiring some stringent precautions to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Among them is the requirement that all adults in a building with students wear both a mask and a face shield.
“The new mitigation strategies that are going to be in place include that all adults in a school building where students are either in-person or are in a hybrid learning model are required to wear both a face mask and a face shield. And you might say ‘Well, isn’t that overkill?’, but the Department of health has studied this extensively, and they know that when people are in places together without having the ability to truly social distance, adding the shield to the facemask makes a huge difference in transmission.”
Other new protocols include the requirement of a Plexiglas barrier when an educator is unable to put six feet between themself and a student, and students will now be required to wear masks during physical education classes.
The plan right now is for all students fifth grade and younger to be back in the classroom by February 1st, and for the hybrid learning plan to resume at the Middle School and the High School by February 2nd. Dr. Hillmann said they have been able to put the plan into place because the community has respected the recommended health protocols.
“We did not see the spike in this area after Thanksgiving that many people had predicted. And I really, I beg the community – and when I say beg, I really mean beg – please do not let our guard down. I think it’s absolutely normal for people to think ‘Oh, I sacrificed my normal Thanksgiving tradition…for what? The numbers didn’t go up like they said they would.’ Well, that’s exactly why they didn’t go up, because we did some hard work and we did sacrifice the kind of normal traditions that we do. Because we limited our gatherings, because we were very intentional about the health processes so that when we did have a gathering we could minimize any kind of transmission. The result of this was the numbers going down.”
Dr. Hillmann also cautioned that while the plan is detailed and ready, it is subject to change on a moment’s notice due to the unreliable nature of the virus.
The Northfield Public Schools Return to Campus Plan can be found HERE.
Dr. Hillmann’s full conversation with Jeff Johnson can be heard here.
Almost Christmas as usual at the Hideaway Coffehouse and Wine Bar
And the Hideaway Coffee House and WIne Bar will once again offer a free Christmas dinner to anybody who would like one, but like everything else in
2020, they will be handling things differently.
Joan Spaulding, the co-owner of the Hideaway with her husband Jim, said that they will continue the tradition of offering a free holiday meal to one and all, but this year they will be offering the food to go. They are asking people to call them from their cars upon arrival, and the food will be delivered to them curbside. Or, Spaulding said, those without a cell phone can come in and pick the food up.
Usually, The Hideaway has around eight people who volunteer to help serve, but this year it will only be members of the Spaulding family to ensure that no volunteers are unnecessarily exposed.
Spaulding said that in the past they have offered people a choice of turkey or ham, but this year, everyone is getting both.
The Hideaway will serve food tomorrow from 1-5 pm. The phone number is (507) 664-0400. This is the 8th consecutive year the Spauldings have offered free Christmas dinner at the Hideaway.
