DUXBURY, Mass. — As COVID-19 cases continue to spike in schools across Mass., Duxbury school administrators are urging families to take precautions this Thanksgiving due to the district’s own “concerning uptick” in positive cases.
In a letter Friday, Duxbury Public Schools notified families of the increase in cases, including “several instances of in-school spread at Alden School,” an elementary school for grades three to five.
School officials say the affected classes have entered the Test and Stay protocol, which allows close-contact students to stay in school if they pass a rapid COVID-19 test for five consecutive days.
“Our number one priority is for students to remain healthy and in school this year and it will take a collective effort to successfully navigate the next few winter months,” the letter from the superintendent and assistant superintendent reads. “We know that everyone is looking forward to a more normal Thanksgiving this year, but we ask that families keep COVID safety in mind over the holiday break.”
From Sept. 1 to Nov. 9, the district had 22 positive COVID-19 cases. But from Nov. 10 to Nov. 19, the district has had 23 more cases – 10 of those within the last two days.
In a weekly report released Thursday, the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education reported 3,257 positive COVID-19 cases among students and 558 among staff members over one week – a sharp increase from the previous week.
Duxbury administrators say they will continue “with the COVID mitigation strategies that proved to be extremely effective in our schools last year, including spacing student desks, maximizing distancing during snack and lunch, use of hand sanitizer, utilizing outdoor spaces, and mask-wearing at all times while indoors.”
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