The Duval County Public School system is reporting 35 coronavirus cases in the first three days of school. That’s a faster spread than last year, when there were 27 reported cases in the first 2 weeks.
Of this week’s infections, 25 are students; 10 are teachers and staff.
The cases are concentrated in elementary schools, but according to data provided by the school district, there are no clusters, just one or two cases per school.
The school year began with parents allowed to opt out of Duval County’s mask mandate, but the vast majority of families are choosing face coverings. WJCT News partner News4Jax reported approximately 4,700 students, or just about 4% of district’s students, had been opted out of masks as of the first day of school this week.
The district has yet to respond to questions from WJCT News about how many students are quarantined due to COVID exposure. Previously, the district has said its quarantine policies may vary depending on the recommendations of the Health Department.
Contact Sydney Boles at sboles@wjct.org, or on Twitter at @sydneyboles.