As new Florida cases of COVID-19 rose to a record level Tuesday, then dropped a day later, Duval County Public Schools hit and surpassed 1,000 cases countywide in only the third week of school.
That local milestone took months during the last school year.
On Wednesday evening, the school district reported 1,064 cases among students and staff. The new total comes as the delta variant continues to surge in Northeast Florida, while school districts have been ordered to remain open and in-person.
Still, two campuses in Duval County were forced to close this week because of COVID-19 outbreaks. Baldwin Middle-Senior High shut down Tuesday, Duncan U. Fletcher Middle on Wednesday; both plan to reopen next week.
The high number of cases prompted the School Board's recent vote on an emergency provision to strengthen the district mask policy. Starting Sept. 7, masks will be required unless a student has a doctor's note.
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