New COVID Cases At Thorne, Middletown High School North

MIDDETOWN, NJ — Someone new at Thorne Middle School, and another at Middletown High School North have tested positive for coronavirus, Middletown schools assistant superintendent Patrick Rinella announced Tuesday.

However, neither school will pivot to an all-virtual instruction and both schools will continue to operate on their hybrid schedule. Both schools have done contact tracing, and contacts have been notified.

Middletown schools are still on track to return to five days a week, in-class, on-campus instruction on December 14.

The case at Middletown High School North has been linked to a source outside the school, and the individual has not been in the building since being exposed, said Rinella. He did not say whether this was a student or a teacher who tested positive.

This is actually the third person at Thorne to test positive for COVID so far this autumn, and the second at High School North. But those other positive cases were much earlier in October, and don't appear to be linked these new cases this week.

As of Oct. 28, Middletown's public school COVID case count has been:

• Middletown High School North (2 cases)
• Thorne Middle School (3 cases)
• New Monmouth Elementary (2 cases)
• River Plaza Elementary (1 case)
• Nut Swamp (several cases)
• Middletown High School South football team (1 case) The case originated off school grounds; the team kept practicing.

Middletown schools have a target date of December 14 to return to five days a week, in-person classroom instruction. That has not changed as of Oct. 28.