CORONAVIRUS SAUGERTIES EXTENDS REMOTE LEARNING

SAUGERTIES, N.Y. » The Saugerties Central School District has decided to stay with remote learning through the first week of January.

The district had already been in remote mode through the end of the month, but announced on Friday, Dec. 18, it would extend that through the week of Jan. 4-8.

“Due to the consistent number of positive cases in our region and predictions for further increases as we move to the holiday season, the Saugerties Central School District will continue with our remote learning model,” a letter to parents and guardians from Superintendent Kirk Reinhardt said. “We anticipate returning to our hybrid model on Monday, January 11, 2021. We will continue to closely monitor our region and local cases.”

Saugerties on Friday reported that a Riccardi Elementary teacher had tested positive for COVID-19. It also received positive news from the Ulster County Department of Health regarding four students and seven staff members. It notified the district that four staffers and a remote student at Morse School, plus a junior high student — previously tested as positive — have all been cleared. The department also said that two junior high students and three high school staffers have all been removed from designated positive status.

By the numbers

Ulster County reported 71 new COVID cases on its online dashboard for Friday. There were 1,483 tests conducted during that 24hour period for a 4.8% positivity rate.

That brought the county to 2,093 active cases and put Ulster at more than 5,000 confirmed cases since the pandemic began. Ulster has had 5,54 cases in all with 2,842 recoveries and 119 deaths.

Dutchess County reported 116 new cases on Sunday with 11 recovering. Four more deaths were reported, and hospitalizations rose from 99 to 107.

To date, Dutchess has 1,532 active cases, up from 1,416 on Sunday. Confirmed cases stand at 10,090, up from 9,959 on Saturday. There have been 8,344 recoveries and 214 fatalities.

Ulster County does not update its COVID-19 statistics on weekends. On Friday, the county reported 71 new COVID cases on its online dashboard. There were 1,483 tests conducted during that 24-hour period for a 4.8% positivity rate.

That brought the county to 2,093 active cases and put Ulster at more than 5,000 confirmed cases since

“We anticipate returning to our hybrid model on Monday, January 11, 2021. We will continue to closely monitor our region and local cases.” — Superintendent Kirk Reinhardt

the pandemic began. Ulster has had 5,054 cases in all with 2,842 recoveries and 119 deaths.

In the schools

• The Rondout Valley Central School district reported Friday that a remote-learning high school student and a remote junior high teacher both tested positive.

• Wallkill had five new cases on Friday: Four remote high school students plus another student at Plattekill Elementary.

• Rhinebeck was notified that three on-site staff members at the Chancellor Livingston Elementary have tested positive.

• Red Hook announced that a Mill Road Elementary Intermediate student had tested positive.

For local coverage related to the coronavirus, go to bit. ly/DFCOVID19.