The Amphitheater School District had to close down a sixth-grade classroom in Harelson Elementary today due to a COVID-19 outbreak.
Two students in the class tested positive for the virus, in two cases that were not epidemiologically linked, meaning there was no out-of-school contact between the two students.
The class went to remote learning and can return to school Aug. 19, on the recommendation of the Pima County Health Department.
This closure joins a growing number of outbreaks in Tucson schools, which are banned from enforcing mask usage by the state and class sizes are typically too large to social distance.
Since July 20, when some county schools first reopened, there have been 386 cases in schools and 19 outbreaks, which is an increase of 174 cases and five outbreaks in less than a week.
More than 18% of the new cases in Pima County since July 1 are in people 16 and younger.
“While school districts in Arizona are not legally permitted to require masks in schools, the Amphitheater District encourages everyone to wear a mask to protect themselves and others,” Principal Jason Weaver wrote in a letter to families.
“Delivering high-quality educational opportunities and keeping our children safe remain our top priorities,” he said.
The Sunnyside school district also closed down two kindergarten classrooms this week, at Craycroft and Los Niños elementary schools, moving those students to remote learning.
At Los Niños, the teacher tested positive. At Craycroft, one student tested positive.
Arizona on Wednesday reported 1,970 additional COVID-19 cases and six additional deaths, the Associated Press reported.
There were 1,513 hospitalized COVID-19 patients as of Tuesday, the most since last February, according to the state’s pandemic website.
Meanwhile, the Navajo Nation on Wednesday reported 49 new COVID-19 cases and two additional deaths.
The latest numbers pushed the tribe’s pandemic totals to 31,715 cases and 1,386 known deaths, according to the AP.
Health officials reported no deaths and only a handful of cases from Aug. 1-8 on the reservation that is the country’s largest at 27,000 square miles and covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
But on Monday, the Navajo Department of Health issued a health advisory notice for 19 communities due to uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus.
The health department plans to issue a new public-health emergency order this week to transition the Navajo Nation back to “Orange Status” due to the recent rise in coronavirus infections, the AP reported.
“The details are being worked out, including capacity levels for businesses,” tribal President Jonathan Nez said in a statement. “Based on contact tracing, it does not appear that new infections are occurring in businesses but rather through in-person social and family gatherings where masks and other safety protocols are not followed. We are seeing cluster cases in a few communities... We have to do better and we have to remain diligent.”
