19 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Greenwich schools
GREENWICH — The Greenwich school district is reporting its highest several-day uptick in COVID-19 cases in more than a month.
From Friday, March 5, to Tuesday, there were 19 new coronavirus cases reported by the school district, the most since the Friday-to-Tuesday period of Jan. 29 to Feb. 2, in which span 21 new cases had been reported.
The 19 new cases brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in Greenwich since the start of school to 466. There are now 22 active cases in the district affecting eight schools, according to the district’s online tracker.
“We continue to partner with our school community to track positive cases and exposure to ensure we are keeping our students and staff safe,” the district’s Director of Communications Sasha Houlihan said. “In addition, we have reminded our school community to stay vigilant with our mitigation strategies, especially as warmer weather starts to emerge. Wearing a mask has proven to be one of the greatest mitigation strategies to stop the spread of COVID-19.”
The increase comes after weeks of relatively low numbers and amid ongoing efforts to vaccinate teachers and inschool staff, which began March 1. The vaccinations are targeted for staff at public and private schools in town and across the state.
As a result of the low numbers of coronavirus cases and vaccination efforts, Superintendent of Schools Toni Jones announced recently that as of March 17, staff and students at Greenwich High School would return to in-person learning on Wednesdays, which since that start of school had been a remote day for all students.
Greenwich High School currently has eight active cases, the most in the district.