UPDATE: WCC back open after closure due to scarlet fever exposure

SUSAN JOHNS
Tue, 01/31/2023 - 12:30am

    Update: WCC has reopened this morning, Tuesday, Jan. 31 after staff cleaned the building with a hospital-grade disinfectant late into Monday night, Operations Manager Robert MacDonald confirmed in a phone interview. The center opened at 5 a.m. Tuesday, MacDonald said. He confirmed the center’s scarlet fever exposure occurred at a sleepover-jamboree of area Girl Scouts. The indoor jamboree is an annual one there, not held for some time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MacDonald said.

    But thanks to the measures learned in the pandemic, WCC knew how to respond to the scarlet fever exposure it learned about Monday afternoon via a parent’s social media post about their child, MacDonald explained. He said he contacted Town Manager Dennis Simmons and the Center “started shuffling people out” around 4:30 p.m. and closed.
     
    He said his latest number on turnout for the event was 65 children, plus adults.
     
    The Wiscasset Female Charitable Society was scheduled to have its annual potluck dinner at WCC Monday night, the Society’s treasurer, Lynn Maloney of Wiscasset, told Wiscasset Newspaper via email and a phone interview. She said St. Philip’s Church on Hodge Street “graciously welcomed us to use their space ... We were so grateful.” She said the church let the group use the space where the church does the food pantry. “It was very pleasant,” she said of the evening at the impromptu venue.
     

    Original post:

    Wiscasset Parks and Recreation announced the following on Monday evening, Jan. 30. This story will be updated:

    We have had to close the (Wiscasset Community Center) building due to an exposure of Scarlet Fever. The exposure was Saturday around 5 p.m. until 8 a.m. Sunday morning.  If you were in the building after that time, you should keep an eye out for symptoms. We are using the guidance from the CDC (Center for Disease Control) link below for information:

     https://www.cdc.gov/groupastrep/diseases-public/scarlet-fever.html

    We are currently doing a deep disinfecting of the building based on those guidelines and we will update again when more information is available as to the reopening of the building.

    Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

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