Days After Viral Pics Of Maskless Students Crowded In Hallway, Georgia High School Reports Nine Infected With Coronavirus

TOPLINE

As administrators, educators and parents throughout the country attempt to figure out how and when to safely reopen schools, a Georgia high school which made national headlines this week after photos of a packed hallway rapidly spread across the internet, reported this weekend that at least six students and three staff members have tested positive for Covid-19.

KEY FACTS

Key Background:

With the coronavirus pandemic still wreaking havoc, the nationwide debate related to school reopenings are increasing in intensity. The majority of the nation’s largest districts have announced that they will begin the year remotely. However, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Friday that districts across New York can reopen for in-person instruction this fall. The World Health Organization has recommended that schools should only consider opening fully if the average rate of positive coronavirus tests is below 5% over a two-week period in the community. (Most of the state, including New York City, has maintained a positive test rate of approximately 1% in recent weeks.) However, some smaller school districts have resumed in-person classes and are already dealing with coronavirus infections forcing students and staff to quarantine, including in Mississippi, Georgia, Indiana, Tennessee and Texas.  

Tangent:

A South Korean study published Thursday by JAMA Internal Medicine confirms what many health experts had assumed and feared, that coronavirus carriers who don’t exhibit any symptoms are capable of spreading the virus.

Big Number:

53: That’s the total number, including 23 students, of Covid-19 cases reported in Paulding County schools since July 1, according to Channel 2 Action News via an open records request.

Crucial Quote:

“We have anticipated that Covid-19 would impact us as it has nearly every community, and the district has worked in partnership with the Department of Public Health (DPH) to proactively implement safety precautions and response plans,” Principal Carmona’s letter reads. “Our custodial staff continues to thoroughly clean and disinfect the school building daily, and especially affected areas.”

Further Reading:

Asymptomatic Coronavirus Carriers May Be As Contagious As Those With Symptoms, Study Finds (Forbes) 

9 cases of COVID-19 reported at North Paulding High School (AJC)

Here Are The Early-Opening U.S. School Districts Already Battling Cases Of The Coronavirus (Forbes) 

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