“While the quarantines were frustrating and worrying so early in the reopening, Covid’s positive cases and quarantines were not unexpected,” he said. Luis Rankins-Ibarra, Escondido Union School District, said in a statement to CNN.
In Escondido, 8,700 students were enrolled on 23 campuses for their hybrid model learning program that began Tuesday, with students divided into groups and personally attending school at different parts of the day.
Yet, despite these measures, seven individuals tested positive at various Escondido school grounds and attended in an infectious condition, leading to the quarantine of 81 students and 15 staff members, Escondido Union School District told CNN.
According to the district, the schools affected this week are Farr Avenue Elementary School, Pioneer Elementary, Rock Springs Elementary and Mission Middle School. Affected students and staff returned to distance education.
District officials said careful contact detection confirmed that these positive cases were not transmitted at schools, but rather from individuals who are relatives of those who walked on the various campuses.
“Our city is struggling with a high issue, and our community contains many generations with many generations. It provides a challenging environment,” Superintendent Rankins-Ibarra said. “It is unfortunate that individuals are still coming to campus while waiting for the Covid test results or after having close contact with someone who is positive or if they are feeling sick,” he added.
The superintendent emphasized that families should keep their children at home if they are ‘slightly ill’. He said safety remains a top priority and “very strict health and safety standards” will be raised on school grounds. He also said district officials believe they can teach on the hybrid model on campus.
“We do everything possible to ensure a safe environment for our students and staff while on campus,” Rankins-Ibarra said. “However, we cannot control the environments off campus,” he said.
Prior to the outbreaks, the health and safety protocols included included temperature checks and oral questionnaires to all students about symptoms and exposure before entering the classroom, school officials said. Classrooms have portable air filtration systems and space between desks. There was also a maximum of 12 students in a classroom at both the primary and secondary school level. It is unclear how the safety standards will be strengthened following the latest positive cases.
While data in San Diego indicate the beginning of a downward trend in cases and hospitalizations, the country has reported a total of 244,069 positive cases and 2,777 deaths since the onset of the pandemic. It remains at the press level, or the most stringent level of California’s coronavirus reporting system, which requires the closure of many non-essential indoor businesses.
The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency again marked a bad milestone on Friday, reporting its first death in Covid-19. The deceased was a ten-year-old boy with underlying medical conditions, officials said.