COVID cases, positivity rates continue to drop

By: 
Staff report

     As the 2020-21 school year winds down, Monticello schools Superintendent Brian Jaeger urged families to use caution, as cases of COVID-19 are still popping up in the community.

     “In the last few weeks,” he prefaced, “we have had a few circumstances where COVID, or a quarantine, can still hit unexpectedly. When it does, there is something lost.”

     Those “lost” events could include attendance at school, extra-curricular activities, awards night, National Honor Society, graduation, etc.

     “We are at a time of the year where the weeks are filled with activities for our students,” continued Jaeger. “In addition, those activities are bigger at the end of the year such as state track and graduation, which are just around the corner. Stay focused on being safe and we can get through this without missing those once in a lifetime events.”

     The 14-day positivity rate for Jones County and Monticello continues to decline. As of Friday, April 23, it was sitting at 3.9 percent for the county and 2.9 percent for Monticello. There have been two positive COVID cases reported in the last seven days in Monticello.

     The Monticello Community School District currently has four students and no staff in isolation, and 11 students and one staff in quarantine. That comes to 2 percent of the student body and less than 1 percent of the total staff out for COVID-related reasons.

     “These numbers have also dropped just a bit this week,” praised Jaeger. “Keep up the good work!!”

     There are still also approximately 83 students in grades PreK-12 taking part in full-online or hybrid learning. That’s about 8 percent of the total students within the MCSD.

     Jaeger concluded his weekly update by reminding families that there are still COVID-19 vaccine appointments available to those ages 16 and up.

     “If you still have questions concerning a vaccine,” he said, “please contact your healthcare provider.”

Category:

Subscriber Login