Archbishop Spalding pauses in-person classes

Two cases reported after off-campus gathering

Two students at Archbishop Spalding High students tested positive for the coronavirus aweekend after students had an “off-campus social gathering,” according to a letter sent to families of the private school in Severn onWednesday.

The school will pivot to online learning through today to conduct contact tracing after receiving guidance fromthe Archdiocese of Baltimore. The school also reached out to the county health department for follow-up guidance and procedures, the letter signed by President KathleenMahar reads.

“We strongly encourage parents to talk to their children to determine if they attended these gatherings and to then monitor their health and symptoms closely. Families, please know that selfreporting ensures the health and safety of your children as well as the safety of our community,” Mahar wrote in the letter.

The two cases were the first publicly reported by private schools since returning to in-person classes this month.

Anne Arundel County Public Schools

are conducting classes remotely, but are planning to restart some classroom sessions for specific groups of students.

Spalding moved to online learning to ensure the health and safety of the school community, said officials from the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

“The health and safety of all members of our school communities is our top priority. The decision to move to virtual instruction for the remainder of the week was made out of an abundance of caution. Our extensive planning and preparation for both in-person and remote learning gives us the flexibility to shift between the two modes of instruction as needed.”

The school was informed that students had a social gathering Friday and Saturday.

Earlier this week, the county health officials confirmed a case at a private school but would not disclose the name of the school, citing privacy health laws.

The county confirmed 54 new coronavirus cases and one new death Thursday, according to state health data. Maryland confirmed 631 new coronavirus cases and five deaths.

Numbers released Thursday morning show the county now has 9,452 confirmed cases and 231 deaths.

Another 11 people may have died from the disease, but a lab test was never performed. Maryland now has 118,519 confirmed cases and 3,717 deaths.

AcrossMaryland, at least 2,299,608 tests have been conducted, an increase of more than 27,000 in the last 24 hours, bringing the statewide seven-day average rate of positive cases to 3.33%. AnneArundel’s rate of positive cases is 3.77%.

Statewide, 353 people are currently hospitalized with 83 patients in the ICU and 270 patients in acute care.

Cases by ZIP code

Here is an alphabetical breakdownof the number of cases in each ZIP code in Anne Arundel County as of Wednesday. State numbers are in parentheses.

ZIP codes that overlap more than one county are in italics. The state numbers also account for cases at congregate living facilities in those ZIP codes, which the county numbers do not include.

The county has said that they remove cases from this data as they determine they are from congregate housing, such as nursing homes or retirement communities, which may also account for discrepancies. ■ Annapolis (21401): 740 (836)

■ Annapolis (21403): 823 (885)

■ Annapolis (21405): 10 (18)

■ Annapolis (21409): 203 (242)

■ Annapolis Junction (20701): 1(N/A)

■ Arnold (21012): 203 (298)

■ Brooklyn (21225): 201 (693)

■ BWI Airport (21240): 0 (N/A) ■ Churchton (20733): 22 (26)

■ Crofton (21114): 219 (316)

■ Crownsville (21032): 83 (125)

■ Curtis Bay (21226): 31 (89)

■ Davidsonville (21035): 52 (64)

■ Deale (20751): 24 (23)

■ Dunkirk (20754): 9 (72)

■ Edgewater (21037): 248 (341)

■ FortMeade (20755): (52)

■ Friendship (20758): 3 (N/A)

■ Galesville (20765): 3 (N/A)

■ Gambrills (21054): 114 (187)

■ Gibson Island (21056): 3 (N/A)

■ Glen Burnie (21060): 531 (644)

■ Glen Burnie (21061): 933 (1043)

■ Hanover (21076): 298 (383)

■ Harmans (21077): 6 (N/A)

■ Harwood (20776): 28(29)

■ Jessup (20794): 33 (695)

■ Laurel (20724): 467 (500)

■ Linthicum Heights (21090): 110 (149)

■ Lothian (20711): 134 (147)

■ Millersville (21108): 194 (217)

■ Naval Academy (21402): (14)

■ North Beach (20714): 2 (38)

■ Odenton (21113): 410 (458)

■ Owings (20736): 0 (75)

■ Pasadena (21122): 691 (756)

■ Riva (21140): 19 (25)

■ Severn (21144): 499 (545)

■ Severna Park (21146): 267 (345) ■ Shady Side (20764): 33 (36)

■ Tracys Landing (20779): 10 (10) ■ West River (20778): 23 (23)