Closed until further notice ...

Updated with current information through March 17, 2:30 p.m.

   MONONA – The fast-moving COVID-19 pandemic has forced the cancellation or closure of many area events, most notably school districts across the state.

   The MFL MarMac Community School District announced Sunday evening that it would follow recommendations made by Gov. Kim Reynolds (R, Iowa) earlier in the evening.

   “Based on our Governor's new and revised recommendations this evening, MFL MarMac schools will be closed starting tomorrow, Monday, March 16, 2020,” the Facebook announcement said. “There will be no practice or activities and no students are to be at the school for any reason. More information will be provided in the next couple of days as we move forward together.”

   Reynolds announced the recommendation in a press release that recognized the first community spread of COVID-19 in the State of Iowa.

   “Based on new information today from the Iowa Department of Public Health, now is the time to move to the next level of response,” she said in a written statement. “I am now recommending that all Iowa schools close for a period of four weeks to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.”

   Reynolds' recommendation for schools to close came after a changeable week that saw MFL MarMac issue a pair of public notices – one Tuesday from School District Nurse Sara Kelly about COVID-19 and the importance of both proper hygiene and keeping students home when they are sick, and the other from District Superintendent Dr. Dale Crozier that was posted less than four hours before Reynolds recommended that schools close.

   In his note, Crozier said the School District needs to rely on guidance from the Department of Public Health and governor. He said the District is preparing technology systems for out of school use, noting that teachers are preparing for off-campus learning.

   In a post Monday morning, the District announced that free “grab-and-go” meals will be available to children 18 years old and younger at noon at locations in Monona, Luana, Farmersburg, McGregor and Marquette. Students will not be allowed to stay and eat their lunches on site and will be encouraged to take the meals home. Specific locations are posted on the School District’s Facebook page.

   Reynolds released a 2-minute video statement Sunday evening announcing the decision to close schools while also announcing four additional COVID-19 cases in the state, including two by community spread. According to the Iowa Department of Health, two of the new cases are in Allamakee County (the first cases in rural northeast Iowa), though both were related to international travel. One was an adult between the ages of 41 and 60, and the other an individual younger than 19 years of age.

   “Unfortunately, we know now that we have substantial community spread across our state, which takes us to the next level of response,” she said.

   Reynolds said schools will not necessarily reopen after the four-week period, but that the state will assess where it is and “determine whether Iowa schools will reopen or remain closed for an extended period of time.

   “We know that these are unprecedented times and we understand that school closures have an impact on children, families and the workforce,” she said. “But this next step goes a long way to protect our vulnerable Iowans and mitigate the further spread of the virus. It also protects students, teachers and staff with underlying health conditions, and it aligns with social distancing recommendations to protect all Iowans.”

   Initially, the Little Bulldog Childcare Center was set to close after Monday, though a decision was made Monday afternoon to keep both it and the Dr. Clifford C. Smith Childcare Center in McGregor open "until directed otherwise" after state officals urged all daycare centers to continue operation. State officials said they are developing policies to ensure access to childcare during the current emergency, including meals for low-income students.

   The recommendation to close Iowa schools also affects Northeast Iowa Community College, which was previously set to discuss its options during a meeting of its Board of Trustees Monday. Sunday night NICC President Dr. Liang Chee Wee announced that face-to-face classes and related activities were canceled through March 20 and that faculty were being asked to prepare to move face-to-face content to an online environment. It said its campuses and child development centers would remain open and that online classes would continue as scheduled.

   The Unified Activities Partners, which include the Iowa High School Athletic Association, Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union, Iowa High School Music Association and Iowa High School Speech Association, also released a joint statement Monday morning stating that all spring activities would be prohibited during the recommended K-12 school closure. This includes team practices and contests as well as in-person contact between coaches and student-athletes.

Libraries

   Heidi Landt, director of the Murphy Helwig Library in Monona, said the library would be cancelling upcoming programming and removing toys from the children’s section. The library announced Monday afternoon that it would close for two weeks beginning Wednesday and will evaluate whether to reopen after that period of time.

   The McGregor Public Library will be closed until further notice.

Hospitals and Care Centers

            Hospitals and care centers were among the first to make changes as COVID-19 began to spread across Iowa early last week. Senior Housing Management, which operates Garden View Place in Monona, has announced that no visitors are allowed until further notice unless they have received prior approval from Joy Laudick, the company’s director of clinical quality. The Great River Care Center in McGregor said it is following state Public Health guidelines and will not be allowing non-essential visits.

   Mercy One, which operates hospitals in both Elkader and Guttenberg, placed restrictions on visitors early in the week while Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon announced visitor restrictions due to the flu and flu-like symptoms. Hospital spokesperson Erin Berns said in an e-mail that the restrictions were not due to coronavirus. Crossing Rivers Health, Prairie du Chien, was asking those whi had been exposed to COVID-19 or were exhibiting symptoms not to visit the hospital or clinics.

Northeast Iowa Food Bank

   The Northeast Iowa Food Bank, announced Thursday it would continue its mission of serving those in need.

   Barb Prather, executive director of the facility said, “Through our Feeding America network of experts, our team at Northeast Iowa Food Bank has been able to develop a preventative measures plan that is based heavily on rigorous food-safety training and accreditations to implement what many are now coming to learn as universal best practices when these situations arise.”

   The food bank supplies area pantries including the Clayton County Food Shelf in St. Olaf and Postville Community Support, which will continue to be open each Tuesday afternoon.

Churches

   Though local churches held services as scheduled Sunday, there were indications that might not be the case in upcoming weeks.

   St. Patrick's Catholic Church announced late Sunday that it had cancelled FF classes and Stations of the Cross until further notice. Earlier in the day it canceled its annual Shamrock Shuffle 5K run/walk fundraiser.

   Erika Lenth, pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church, announced Friday via Facebook that the church would remain open until “we are forced to close,” though she asked parishioners to thoroughly wash or sanitize their hands prior to entering the sanctuary or heading to an event or meeting. The church also suspended any personal contact, including the offering plate, and will not offer communion via intinction until further notice (as well as during future flu seasons).

   The First Congregational Church of Christ, McGregor, placed a live stream of its Sunday service on Facebook for those who could not make the service and announced later in the day that its remaining three Lenten programs and meals had been canceled.

   At press time, none of the local churches had canceled future services.

Many events were held as planned

   Many events went on as scheduled last week, including Sunday's Pinewood Derby for Cub Scout Pack 38 at the school in McGregor, though the event was held prior to the CDC recommendation against gatherings of 50 or more people.

   MFL MarMac fifth-graders held their annual Wax Museum event Wednesday as scheduled, and the school also held its spring play, “The Internet is Distract … Oh Look, A Kitten” as scheduled Friday and Saturday, with the second showing being the final school-sponsored event for the time being.

   MFL MarMac High School also hosted an unofficial State Speech event for its students and those from Kee High, after the Iowa High School Speech Association canceled both its State contest and All-State Festival.

   “These changes were made for the health and safety of our students, coaches, judges and the host schools,” the Speech Association said in a written announcement on its Web page. “The IHSSA agrees that safety is the number one priority. The Executive Committee believes that the dramatic changes over the last 24 hours and the ever changing landscape surrounding the COVID-19 virus warranted cancellation of the state contests.”

   Students at Saturday's impromptu event in Monona were judged as if it were the State contest and were eligible to be selected All-State by the local judges. Those selected will receive a medal and recognition.

   Information in this story was current as of Monday at 11 a.m. This is a developing story, with more cancellations possible in upcoming days. Updates will be posted on our Outlook Newspaper Facebook page as they become available.