Nearly 120 COVID Cases In Branford Schools, District Data Shows

BRANFORD, CT — The coronavirus cases in Branford Public Schools continue to tick up.

For the entire month of November, there were 24 positive cases. And for the whole month of December, 75 positive cases.

As of Thursday morning, not quite two weeks into January, some 117 positive cases have been reported. The vast majority of those cases are students, with 29 staff members also positive for the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Branford High School, Francis Walsh Intermediate School and Mary R. Tisko Elementary School have the highest number of positive cases, at 28, 24 and 30, respectively.

See the data here.

Last week, schools Superintendent Hamlet Hernandez told families the district had adopted the most recent state Department of Public Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contact tracing and quarantine practices. But he noted that though the guidance is changeable, there's one "constant."

"Anyone experiencing symptoms of illness must stay home," Hernandez wrote. "By adhering to this rule, we reduce the possibility of staff and students becoming ill."

Branford Public Schools' current guidance

• Screen and stay is ended
• The 7-day test-out option is ended, but a test is recommended after 5 days for close contacts
• Home tests, as well as lab tests (PCR and antigen), are accepted for COVID+ reporting
• In-school contact tracing is focused on unmasked close contacts only
• Families will be notified by the school, as appropriate by level, regarding COVID+ cases in the school population
• Quarantine requirements are reduced as follows (see charts here for new return dates)
  • 10-day quarantines are reduced to 5 days
  • 20-day quarantines are reduced to 10 days

Hernandez "strongly encouraged" parents and guardians to have their children vaccinated, if eligible. A pediatric and 12+ clinic is scheduled for Sunday and Feb. 6, he added.

"Your thoughtfulness contributes to keeping yourself and others free of illness," Hernandez wrote. "We are all counting on each other."