Fairfield Schools Release Virus Case Counts From Holiday Break

FAIRFIELD, CT — Nearly 50 community members of the Fairfield school district were confirmed to have the coronavirus over the recent holiday break, school officials said.

With schools closed during the break, there was no need for in-school contact tracing, according to a message from the district sent Thursday to parents and staff, which disclosed there were 49 cases reported among district community members between Dec. 23 and Jan. 3.

“As we welcomed your children back to school (Monday), both virtually and in-person, we are encouraged by all the families reporting their travel and observing the COVID-19 guidelines,” Superintendent Mike Cummings and COVID-19 Health And Safety Compliance Liaison Angelus Papageorge said in a separate message Monday.

School nurses were working with families to ensure virus-related travel requirements were followed, according to the message.

The district disclosed another 26 cases over the course of the past week, which was many students’ first week in the classroom under a modified version of the district's hybrid learning model.

Since Monday, cases have been reported at Fairfield Ludlowe and Warde high schools; Fairfield Woods, Roger Ludlowe and Tomlinson middle schools; and Burr, North Stratfield, Riverfield, Stratfield, Holland Hill and Roger Sherman elementary schools.

As of 4 p.m. Friday, 35 students and 11 staff members across Fairfield Public Schools had the virus, according to district data. Another 267 students and 76 staffers had recovered after testing positive. In addition, 261 students and 28 staff members were in quarantine.