Massachusetts Students, School Staff Encouraged To Avoid Travel During February Vacation
BOSTON (CBS) -- February school vacation week is just around the corner for many Massachusetts schools. And that could be a problem for districts that are trying to keep kids in classrooms amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Jeffrey Riley, commissioner of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education included a "vacation reminder" in his most recent weekly update.
"The Department recognizes that the upcoming February vacation may pose a challenge to districts in their efforts to limit students' and staff's exposure to COVID-19," he wrote.
Last week there were 908 new COVID cases reported among students and staff, down from a high of 1,009 in November.
Riley said school leaders are encouraged to remind students and staff about best coronavirus safety practices.
"These include limiting the size of any gathering, limiting get-togethers to only people who live together or to a small group of individuals with whom they are regularly in contact, and avoiding travel," he said.
Those who do travel should "abide by Massachusetts travel orders," which currently require a quarantine period or negative test when returning from anywhere outside of the state besides Hawaii.
There are an estimated 55,659 active COVID cases in Massachusetts. The seven-day weighted average of positive tests has dropped to under 3%.
