3 Schools Close Due To COVID Case Increase In Prince George's County

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — A concerning increase in COVID-19 cases has prompted school officials to shut down three buildings in Prince George's County and switch those students to virtual learning. The three schools affected are Benjamin Tasker Middle School, EXCEL Public Charter School and Kettering Middle School. These three schools will remain closed until Jan. 3.

"I am alarmed by the rising numbers across our schools: A two-day total last week consisted of fewer than 100 cases. This week, we saw a high of 155 cases reported in a single day," Monica Goldson, CEO of Prince George's Public Schools, said in a letter shared with the community Wednesday.

Goldson noted that the recent surge of cases both locally and nationwide has caused entire grades to quarantine, too, in addition to the three buildings closing. She recommended that people get vaccinated as the "best protection against COVID-19."

Prince George's County Public Schools will continue to offer COVID-19 vaccination clinics at select schools during the winter break.

As of Dec. 16, there are 102,418 total confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,700 deaths in Prince George's County. For the week ending Nov. 27, there was an additional 524 COVID-19 cases diagnosed.