Nearly 150 kids and teachers caught COVID-19 at N.J. schools, state officials say as outbreaks increase – NJ.com

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Another 24 New Jersey students, teachers and staff were infected with COVID-19 while on school property in eight newly-reported in-school outbreaks, state officials said Thursday.

The new cases bring the totals to 36 confirmed outbreaks at schools involving 146 cases since the school year began, according to the state’s COVID-19 dashboard.

The eight newly-reported outbreaks include: three schools in Camden County (involving a total of 10 new cases); two schools in Bergen County (total of six cases); two schools in Warren County (total of four cases) and one school in Sussex County (three cases).

There was also one new COVID-19 case in Ocean County linked to one of the four previously-reported school outbreaks in the county.

State officials have not released the names of the schools or any details about how students and school staff members transmitted the coronavirus in classrooms or at other school activities while all districts are supposed to be observing strict social distancing and mask requirements.

Despite the “second wave” of coronavirus cases hitting New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy has said he remains relatively unconcerned about the rise in in-school outbreaks considering they represent a small percentage of the more than 3,000 schools in the state.

In-school outbreaks are defined as cases in which a health investigation determined two or more people contracted COVID-19 either on school grounds or in school-related activities. The numbers do not include students or teachers who caught the virus from family members, friends or at parties or other non-school events.

The 36 school outbreaks include:

Atlantic County: 1 school outbreak with 2 cases.

Bergen County: 5 school outbreaks with a total of 15 cases.

Burlington County: 2 school outbreaks with a total of 6 cases

Camden County: 6 school outbreaks with a total of 45 cases.

Cape May County: 3 school outbreaks with a total of 10 cases.

Cumberland County: 1 school outbreak with 3 cases.

Gloucester County: 2 school outbreaks with a total of 10 cases.

Hudson County: 1 school outbreak with 4 cases.

Hunterdon County: 1 school outbreak with 3 cases.

Middlesex County: 1 school outbreak with 3 cases.

Ocean County: 4 school outbreaks with a total of 13 cases.

Passaic County: 1 school outbreak with 9 cases.

Salem County: 2 school outbreaks with a total of 10 cases.

Somerset County: 2 school outbreaks with a total of 4 cases.

Sussex County: 2 school outbreaks with a total of 5 cases.

Warren County: 2 school outbreaks with a total of 4 cases.

Five counties have reported no school outbreaks. They are: Essex, Mercer, Monmouth, Union and Morris counties.

As the transmission rate has been rising statewide, New Jersey officials have not been publicly tracking the total number of coronavirus cases reported at schools. The in-school outbreak cases likely make up a small percentage of the total number of students and teachers who have contracted the virus.

There have been more than 260 New Jersey schools that have had at least one coronavirus case, according to a database compiled by the National Education Association.

Schools are advised to close for 14 days if they have two or more positive COVID-19 cases in different classrooms with no clear indication of how the virus was transmitted, according to state guidelines.

At least 50 New Jersey school districts have closed schools temporarily due to coronavirus cases, according to a list compiled by NJ Advance Media.

Statewide, the vast majority of New Jersey’s schools are not fully reopened. Most remain under hybrid plans that bring half or less of students to school each day on a rotating basis while the rest of their classmates learn at home.

As of last week, 505 school districts were hybrid, 169 were fully remote, 94 have all in-person classes and 39 districts have a combination of different forms depending on the school or grade, Murphy said. Those numbers include public districts, charter schools and private schools for students with disabilities. They do not include other private schools, Catholic schools or other religious schools.

More schools were supposed to start transitioning to the hybrid model this month as the first marking period ended. But several districts, including Newark, Paterson, Bloomfield, Dover and Boonton, have announced they plan to keep classrooms closed and stay all-remote due to the rising infection rates and teachers’ concerns.

Those districts have said they will delay bringing students back to the classroom until at least January or February.

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Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com.