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Fairfield Public Schools Superintendent Mike Cummings said that the high school will be closed on Wednesday, Sept. 30, and Thursday, Oct. 1 due to three more confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in students or staffers.
Cummings said that more than 30 additional students have been instructed to enter quarantine, bringing the number of students and staff in isolation to more than 80.
An additional two dozen others outside of the Fairfield School District have been identified as close contacts and have also been placed in quarantine.
As more students are tested, Cummings said that he expects more positive results, noting that the new cases are not related to the ones that were reported last week and led to the initial closure of the building.
Unlike the previous outbreak, which was tied to students gathering at parties, Cummings said that the latest is due to more innocuous activities such as playing pick-up sports or attendees at a sponsored event.
“For the second week in a row, we find ourselves having to deal with the consequences of our students participating in weekend activities without masks and without appropriate social distancing,” he said. “Individuals are contagious two days prior to showing even mild symptoms. So there are no ‘safe' activities without masks and social distancing.”
Cummings said that he can ensure that students wear masks and socially distance while they’re at school, but reminded parents that in order to keep the school open, students have to be responsible outside the classroom.
“We understand that we are dealing with young people,” he said. “We understand how important it is for them to be with their friends. But we are dealing with a global pandemic and we cannot put all of our students and staff at risk because of the actions of a few.”
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