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New Jersey officials have reported 10 new outbreaks of the coronavirus at school, bringing the total to 131 outbreaks and 629 related cases among students, teachers and school staff, according to the latest figures from Tuesday.
Outbreaks – defined as cases in which people have been confirmed to have caught or transmitted the virus in class or during academic activities – have been reported in all 21 counties, according to the COVID-19 dashboard of the State.
An outbreak at a school in Essex County was linked to 92 cases.
The names of the schools were withheld to protect the privacy of children and school staff who tested positive, state officials said.
Gov. Phil Murphy said social distancing rules and safety measures designed to keep students and teachers safe in schools continue to work for the most part. But the schools are “certainly not at a thousand,” said the governor.
Murphy, who has said he does not want to order a statewide school shutdown, continues to allow local school districts to decide for themselves whether to conduct in-person classes or switch to learning virtual. Some do not yet have face-to-face classes this school year.
The Newark School District, the state’s largest district, has delayed going back to class until April 12. Jersey City is extending distance learning until April 21, and Trenton has pushed back to in-person classes until May.
The Hillside School District has already announced plans to stay away until the end of the school year.
Coronavirus case rates fell last week in all six areas of New Jersey tracked by the state and used by school districts to assess risk in educational settings.
But, for the ninth week in a row, all 21 counties are orange, indicating “high” coronavirus activity, according to data released Thursday by the State Department of Health.
New Jersey health officials on Tuesday reported an additional 4,117 confirmed cases and 133 more deaths, with the state topping 600,000 confirmed cases on the same day after reaching 600,000 vaccinations administered.
The state’s seven-day average for new confirmed positive COVID-19 tests is 4,416, down 13% from a week ago and 3% from a month ago, so as the numbers continue to show signs that the second wave of the pandemic is starting to decline.
CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracking | Bulletin | Home page
The total number of school cases per county is:
- Bergen County: 29 confirmed outbreaks and 121 linked cases
- Camden County: 13 confirmed outbreaks and 66 linked cases
- Salem County: 13 confirmed outbreaks and 43 linked cases
- Cape May County: 8 confirmed outbreaks and 23 linked cases
- Burlington County: 7 confirmed outbreaks and 24 linked cases
- Gloucester County: 7 confirmed outbreaks and 41 linked cases
- Monmouth County: 7 confirmed outbreaks and 21 linked cases
- Cumberland County: 6 confirmed outbreaks and 14 linked cases
- Passaic County: 6 confirmed outbreaks and 27 linked cases
- Atlantic County: 5 confirmed outbreaks and 14 linked cases
- Ocean County: 5 confirmed outbreaks and 42 linked cases
- Sussex County: 5 confirmed outbreaks and 13 linked cases
- Warren County: 5 confirmed outbreaks and 12 linked cases
- Mercer County: 3 confirmed outbreaks and 14 linked cases
- Somerset County: 3 confirmed outbreaks and 9 linked cases
- Hudson County: 2 confirmed outbreaks and 10 linked cases
- Hunterdon County: 2 confirmed outbreaks and 7 linked cases
- Morris County: 2 confirmed outbreaks and 10 linked cases
- Essex County: 1 confirmed outbreak and 92 linked cases
State totals do not include cases related to school sports teams or cases where contact tracers failed to determine whether students and teachers caught the virus in their schools.
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Matt Arco can be reached at [email protected].
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