4th Coronavirus Case In Branford Schools: Superintendent

BRANFORD, CT — The case number count in Branford schools is now up to four.

Schools superintendent Hamlet M. Hernandez sent a letter to families Monday to announce that two additional "members of the school community tested positive for coronavirus."

Hernandez said one case was discovered at Mary T. Murphy and one at Branford High School. He said the cases are "unrelated."

In the case at the elementary school the "affected person" was last in school Oct. 15 and at the high school, the person who tested positive for COVID-19 was last in school Friday.

Hernandez said both have been told to stay home in isolation for 10 days. He said anyone who is considered a “close contact” will or may already have been contacted by school officials and/or public health officials and provided with instructions on the appropriate steps to take.

Hernandez said that after talks with East Shore Health Department, the school district decided "there is no reason to close school or cancel in-person classes due to the sufficiency of the District’s current cleaning protocols and mitigation measures."

Hernandez said with colder temperatures, "public health officials anticipate the COVID-19 positivity rate to increase," noting the district will "continue to monitor the evolving crisis."

In late September, there was a positive case at the high school, a student athlete, and in early October, a case at Sliney Elementary School.