Ridgewood Schools Warn March could be challenging due to the New Strains of the COVID-virus

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, the New Jersey COVID-19 Activity Level Report indicates that our region is still at the high level. Cases in Bergen County rose the previous two weeks by 7 and 6 percent respectively. News reports suggest that New Jersey may have peaked; however, they also warn that March could be challenging due to the new strains of the virus entering our area.

During the two weeks that the district was closed following the December recess, 20 cases were reported each week; therefore, it is likely that schools would have closed if the district had not taken this precautionary measure. This past week, the district saw a reduction in cases, reporting a total of 16. The situation will continue to be monitored closely, and data will drive decisions.

The district is awaiting legal and medical counsel regarding the district’s plan for vaccinations, but at this time, they will not be required for employees or students. Educators have been registering for vaccinations, but the process is slow. A small number of district employees have already received the first round of the vaccine.

COVID notification letters will be reported as needed on a daily basis again, and the new COVID-19 Dashboard on the website will be updated on Fridays. The district has not had any cases of transmission within our schools.

In an effort to safely bring more normalcy to the school year, the district is working on different stages of Phase 1 and will be sharing surveys with the school community shortly.