Throughout all of the trials and tribulations that came with 2020, Salesianum administrators have always remained firm in their desire for the school to remain open. However, after last night, these struggles became too much to bear. As the number of COVID cases continue to rise dramatically, the administrative team made the difficult decision to shut down Salesianum at least until the end of the calendar year. There are an estimated 15.2 million COVID infections across the United States, with 41,000 of those cases being in Delaware.

This shutdown requires all students to switch to online learning until further notice. Fortunately, the hybrid learning model that was started at the beginning of this school year was designed to make the transition to online learning at a moment’s notice. In terms of sports, the Varsity Soccer team is allowed to continue playing in the States tournament, which ends Saturday. Every other team is not allowed to practice or play in any games for the rest of the week, with more information soon to come.

In terms of schooling in 2021, nothing has been confirmed as of yet. In his email, Father Beretta said that he wants “to return to on-campus learning and activities as soon as it is safe to do so.” When, or even if, it will be safe to return to campus throughout the 2021 school year is currently unknown. While there is hope for a vaccine on the horizon, Dr. Anthony Fauci claimed that around 75-85% of United States citizens will have to be vaccinated in order to end the Coronavirus by the end of 2021.

Unfortunately, a lot of details are currently left up in the air as the Salesianum community struggles to deal with this pandemic. Thankfully, Father Beretta ends his email with a message of hope. “Throughout my career at Salesianum, the brotherhood has always risen to the occasion, and you are all part of that tradition now. I am incredibly proud of each and every one of you. Better days lie ahead.”