'Not A Good Week': 35 New COVID Cases In 4 Days Reported At Wayne Schools

WAYNE, NJ — Thursday's Board of Education meeting for Wayne Public Schools lasted only 10 minutes — a change from the hours-long, sometimes-contentious sessions to which the community has become accustomed. But it was enough time for Superintendent Dr. Mark Toback to share the school community's rise in coronavirus cases.

Subscribe to Patch for local news updates to your inbox. (It's free): https://patch.com/subscribe

Wayne schools saw a "dramatic" increase in COVID-19 cases in the first four days after Thanksgiving break — 35 from Nov. 29 to Thursday.

"This was not a good week for the district when it comes to COVID," Toback said.

The development came three weeks after Toback reported progress in the schools' efforts to reduce the spread of the virus. At Nov. 11's meeting, Toback reported seven students and one staff member with the virus — 37 students and one employee were also quarantined.

Read more: Wayne School COVID Numbers 'Decreased Dramatically'

If there's any silver living, Toback said Thursday, Wayne Public Schools' current case numbers are "far lower" than they were at this time last year.

Cases have recently risen throughout New Jersey, and Wayne hasn't been immune. The township reported 248 new cases in November, an increase over October's total of 143. Read more: November COVID Cases Nearly Double Over Prior Month In Wayne

St. Joseph's Health modified its visitor policy Friday at hospitals, including Wayne's, including allowing only one visitor at a time under most circumstances and barring children from visiting patients. Read more: St. Joseph's Health Limits Hospital Visits Amid COVID Concerns

Watch the full school board meeting below:

Thanks for reading. Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter and follow the Wayne Patch Facebook Page.