Coronavirus Westport: School District Cancels April Break

WESTPORT, CT — The Westport Public Schools' spring break — scheduled for April 6-9 — has been canceled this year due to the new coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, Interim Schools Superintendent David Abbey announced on Tuesday. The Board of Education approved the change at its March 23 meeting.

Students will have regular classes those days under the current remote learning program. April 10, which is Good Friday, will remain a school holiday, and classes will not be held that day.

"Given the likelihood that Governor Lamont will close Connecticut Public Schools beyond March 31, and in consultation with Mark Cooper, Director of Health for the Westport Weston Health District, the Westport Public Schools (School Buildings) will remain closed until at least April 20, 2020," Abbey said in a message to families. "During this period of time school will be conducted on a remote basis."

(To sign up for Westport breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

In a radio interview on Tuesday, Gov. Ned Lamont said that there was a possibility that Connecticut school buildings will remain closed for the rest of the year, and students might not return to regular classrooms until the fall.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Connecticut continues to rise rapidly, jumping by 200 as of Tuesday to reach 618, according to Lamont. Twelve people in the state have died of complications from coronavirus, and 71 remain hospitalized.

Fairfield County continues to lead the state in the number of confirmed cases with 384, nearly 300 more than the next county, Hartford, which has 88 confirmed cases. With 79 cases, Westport continues to lead the state, according to officials from the Connecticut Department of Public Health, up from 74 cases on Monday.

"Being ‘hit’ first, we may be first to see the virus start to slow its spread, so long as people self-isolate and socially distance themselves from others," said Mark Cooper, director of the Westport Weston Health District. "Only time will tell. In the coming weeks, a more rapid test will become available reducing the time between sample collection and getting the results. Further, of those with confirmed cases in Connecticut, it is interesting to note that although no age group is spared, the 40 to 49 and 50 to 59 age groups have the highest number of laboratory confirmed COVID19 cases. The 60 to 69 and over 80 age groups make up the majority of those being hospitalized."

On Tuesday, 45 people were tested for COVID-19 at Westport's drive-thru facility in the parking lot of Bedford Middle School. Testing will resume on March 31.