Westfield High School Goes Remote After 5 Coronavirus Cases
WESTFIELD, NJ – For the second time in just more than a month, Westfield High School has been forced to shift to remote learning because of positive coronavirus cases.
Classes at the high school were held remotely Thursday after Superintendent Margaret Dolan informed district families of an outbreak of five positive cases in recent days at the high school in a letter Wednesday. Classes will be held remotely for at least Thursday, according to Dolan, who said that a contact tracing investigation conducted by the Westfield Regional Health Department determined the cases took place outside of the school when masks were not being worn and social distancing guidelines were not being followed.
Health officials determined that contact between the infected individuals and others at the school did not take place because masks are required at the school, as is proper social distancing. However, Dolan determined it was necessary to close the building to allow the health department to complete its investigation. Once the inquiry is completed, health officials will determine when in-person classes at the high school may continue.
This week’s announcement comes just a month after six positive cases were discovered at the high school and that forced classes to be held remotely for two weeks. Dolan said at the time that she had reason to believe that the six cases were connected and that a seventh case of a student testing positive had also been reported. Like in this week’s outbreak, the cases were determined to be caused by activity outside of the school and that more than 30 other students had gone into isolation after self-reporting they had been in contact with someone who had tested positive.
Dolan wrote Wednesday that the high school will also undergo a deep cleaning, sanitation and will be disinfected while the building is closed, Dolan said. All other buildings in the district will continue to operate normally, she told families in the letter. Because of privacy laws, Dolan said she cannot provide further details about the five cases but said that people who have been in close contact (within six feet for more than 10 minutes) with the infected individuals would be notified by the health department.
“We have important protocols in place to mitigate potential spread that include mask wearing, social distancing, screening procedures, enhanced cleaning, and other measures,” Dolan wrote. “I am hopeful that these stringent measures will have done their job to minimize the risk of transmission in the high school.”
This article originally appeared on the Westfield Patch
