In Connecticut, three schools were temporarily closed this week and staff from several others sent home to quarantine because of positive COVID-19 tests. The decisions were made by local school officials.
The temporary closures affected Naugatuck High School, the Regional High School in Deep River and Somers Elementary School. Last month, Governor Ned Lamont said the state would leave such decisions to local school districts and colleges.
“We are going to give a fair amount of discretion to the districts. But we have clear metrics out there in terms of when we think it’s time to pull back. Public health is still our key metric,” Lamont said.
In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo said school districts with 9% infection rates would have to shut down. Cuomo said colleges with 100 positive cases or 5% infections on campus would need to close campus for two weeks and go online.
The University of Connecticut had run very close to that benchmark before classes even started. Lamont said UConn is capable of handling its outbreaks.
“We’ve tested well over 5,000 people there. We are continuing to test. In one dorm they had a bit of flare up. It's going to be quarantined for a period of time. So I think if any college can get it right, it's UConn,” he said.
Connecticut does have an interim guide to respond to COVID-19 scenarios in schools. It advises schools to close for 14 days if multiple positive new coronavirus cases are identified. The guide is available on the state Department of Education website.
