November 20, 2020

Dear Staff,

The success we are having is because of you! Everyone is doing an extraordinary job, being diligent with our health and safety mitigation efforts, and are providing wonderful supports and services to our students, families, clients, and stakeholders. Your commitment is appreciated and celebrated, and I am proud to be part of this amazing team.

Yesterday, the governors of Northeastern states including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware joined together to stress the importance of in-person learning. The message appears above.

Also, this week, Dr. Rachel Levine, PA Secretary of Health, updated the masking order, Strengthened Masking Order, for all of Pennsylvanians. Key parts of the order are:

• When indoors while at work, masks will now be required even if you are physically distant from other individuals. This means that even if you are able to be 6 feet apart, you will need to wear a mask while inside unless you work alone, meaning in an office with four walls and a door.
• Masks are required to be worn indoors and outdoors if you are away from your home.
• When outdoors, a mask must be worn if you are not able to remain physically distant (at least 6 feet away) from someone not in your household the entire time you are outdoors.
• When indoors at home with individuals not in your household, masks will now be required even if you are physically distant from the individuals not in your household. This means that even if you are able to be 6 feet apart, you will need to wear a mask while inside if with people other than members of your household.

DCIU will be updating our DCIU Health and Safety Plan Questions and Answers document soon to reflect these changes. Please remember wearing a mask helps to protect you and others around you.

Thank you for all of your hard work and efforts. Together, we can continue to our path of success.

Sincerely,

Dr. Maria Edelberg
Executive Director