Georgia school district halts classes for 3 weeks because of surging COVID cases

The school year began just two weeks ago in parts of Georgia, but one district has already announced it’s temporarily ceasing operations due to rising COVID cases.

Ware County Schools — along the state’s Florida border — announced Friday that students should not expect to return to classes until Sept. 7.

District officials blamed the abrupt halt on “a sharp increase in the number of active positive COVID cases reported among students and staff members, as well as the number of individuals who are currently quarantined.”

The district reports 76 of its 5,905 students have tested positive for COVID and 679 are “quarantined for possible exposure.” Among the staff of 950, 67 have tested positive and 150 are quarantined, the school said.

As a result, the cancellation goes beyond in-person classes to include remote classes, the district said. However, “in-season extra-curricular practices and competitions will continue,” the district said.

Staff members are expected to return to work Aug. 30 “for an additional week of pre-planning,” according to a release.

The announcement comes as the nation is seeing a resurgence in COVID and its delta variant.

Georgia has seen a 92% increase in COVID cases over the past two weeks, and is currently reporting about 47 deaths a day, according to the COVID-19 Health Equity Interactive Dashboard.

Ware County is listed as having a “high” transmission rate, according to the CDC. The state health department shows 29% of the county’s population is fully vaccinated.

The Ware County Schools took a series of steps “regarding a safe reopening,” including encouraging students and staff to wear masks, establishing a 3-foot social distancing and limiting the access of parents to the building.

This story was originally published August 16, 2021 at 9:19 AM with the headline "Georgia school district halts classes for 3 weeks because of surging COVID cases."