More Coronavirus Cases Reported In Wallingford School District

WALLINGFORD, CT — Just minutes after announcing that Lyman Hall High School is switching to full distance learning for a week, the Wallingford Public School District reported more confirmed cases of the coronavirus.

Officials were notified Thursday that people from a district program, Parker Farms Elementary School and Lyman Hall tested positive for the virus.

The confirmed cases in the district program and at Lyman Hall were determined to not be in close contact with anyone while in a school setting, according to a message sent to parents.

“However, the COVID-19 confirmed cases at Parker Farms Elementary were in close contact with one or more people while in a school setting,” the message reads. “The Wallingford Public School District, in collaboration with the Wallingford Health Department, initiated a case investigation at Parker Farms School contact tracing activities to identify all individuals who may have been in close contact with the cases. All individuals identified as close contacts have already been notified by the building administration or the school nurse.”

The CDC defines a close contact as:

someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes starting from 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic clients, 2 days prior to positive specimen collection) until the time the patient is isolated. The World Health Organization (WHO) additionally includes persons with direct physical contact with a probable or confirmed case, direct care for a patient with probable or confirmed COVID-19 disease without using proper personal, and other situations as indicated by local risk assessments.

“The Wallingford Public School District and Wallingford Health Department are committed to maintaining a safe environment for students and staff,” officials wrote in the message to parents. “We continue to proactively monitor illness of students and staff, apply cleaning protocols, and social distancing practices. We will continue to review the circumstances of this case and will make any necessary adjustments in our plans.”