Daycare center sees first COVID-19 case
Facility set to reopen today following 3-day closure
Share
Tweet
The Hartley Community Daycare Center was temporarily closed this week due to a confirmed case of COVID-19.
Facility administrators were made aware of the situation Sunday after a test confirmed the COVID-19 infection. The child had been at the building Friday, but was experiencing no symptoms and passed COVID-19 protocol when they arrived.
Following recommendations from public health officials, the facility was closed Monday through Wednesday. It was scheduled to reopen today after extensive sanitation.
"Our goal is to protect our families that bring their children to the center and to protect our workers and their families as much as possible," said April Hengeveld, president of the daycare center's board of directors. "We know the importance of keeping the center open during this time and are trying to eliminate any additional full center closures as much as possible."
Children in direct contact with the infected individual were notified and recommended to quarantine for 14 days to limit possible spread. The room the child was in will also be shuttered for 14 days.
The daycare center was closed from mid-March through the end of May due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened after the board established preventative protocols aimed at reducing the threat of infections.
"Those additional measures are temperature checks of children during drop off, additional sanitizing of toys, additional deep cleaning, and eliminating foot traffic in and out of the center from parents or guardians when picking up their children at the end of the day," Hengeveld explained.
Cleaning efforts were aided this week by the Hartley Emergency Ambulance Response Team, which donated the use of their ultraviolet light. The device is capable of sanitizing large spaces like classrooms in minutes.
