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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Multiple schools in region hit by COVID-19 cases

David Colburn
Posted 10/28/20

REGIONAL- Three area schools have reported new positive COVID-19 cases as rising case rates threaten increased restrictions in districts across the state.Tower-Soudan Elementary is the school most …

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Multiple schools in region hit by COVID-19 cases

Posted

REGIONAL- Three area schools have reported new positive COVID-19 cases as rising case rates threaten increased restrictions in districts across the state.
Tower-Soudan Elementary is the school most affected by the virus, as two positive cases among staff members have caused the school to shift from in-person learning to distance learning until Tuesday, Nov. 3.
“The last day the two positive cases were in school was on Monday, Oct. 19,” ISD 2142 Superintendent Reggie Engebritson said. “Two weeks from that day brings us to Tuesday, Nov. 3.”
Ely schools tallied three more COVID-19 cases last week as reported on Friday by Superintendent Erik Erie. The district continues to monitor local data and may shift to a complete hybrid learning model if bi-weekly case rates remain high.
North Woods School reported its first case of COVID-19 on Monday, the sixth case in the district since the start of school, Engebritson said. The school did not identify whether the infected person was a student or staff member.
However, on the same day the school announced the cancellation of Tuesday’s home volleyball match against Eveleth-Gilbert, and the Arrowhead League website showed on Monday that all home and away matches for the Lady Grizzlies have been canceled through Thursday, Nov. 5, with their next match scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 10. That period of time is consistent with the typical 14-day quarantine period for COVID-19 exposure.
And while not tied to a particular school, the Bois Forte Band Health Services announced via social media on Monday that a child age ten or under in the Vermilion sector tested positive for COVID-19, the youngest case to date at either Vermilion or Nett Lake.
Bi-weekly case rates per 10,000, the measure used to determine recommended school learning models, have risen to the point that 19 counties in the state, including neighboring Itasca County, are at a point where districts should consider going completely to a distance learning model. The rate for greater St. Louis County (excluding Duluth) had its largest one-week jump ever last week, moving from 18.2 to 25.5, solidly in the range where a full hybrid model is recommended. Ely schools have already implemented hybrid learning for upper grades, while ISD 2142 is continuing with in-person learning.
State health commissioner Jan Malcom said on Monday that 27 percent of Minnesota schools have had at least one case of COVID-19 since school started, and that 33 schools currently have five or more active cases.
Other impacts
The Bois Forte Reservation had been free of active COVID cases for a short period of time after a recent outbreak, but after several announcements this past week they now have three active cases, all at Vermilion, according to a website announcement on Wednesday.
Fotune Bay Resort Casino and Resort also announced Monday via social media that two more of their employees have tested positive, and that three additional employees who were in close contact with them are in quarantine. The release did not specify the date when Fortune Bay learned of the test results.
Concern increases
Gov. Tim Walz joined the regular Department of Health press conference on Monday to emphasize that the continuing rise in cases represents a serious threat, and urged people to comply with masking, social distancing, and small gatherings guidance to head off the explosive growth being seen now in bordering states.
“We’re talking about high spikes here of 2,200 cases. Wisconsin is reporting 6,000 cases, hospitals overflowing, and temporary beds being set up at the fairgrounds,” Walz said. “That is the crystal ball of our future. All of those things will end up happening [here] if we don’t make some of these changes. The next six to 12 weeks are going to be critical in this fight on COVID,” Walz said.
Pushed about rumors suggesting statewide business and school closures could be coming by mid-November, Walz responded that none of those kinds of measures had even been talked about. The emphasis, he said, has been on trying to get buy-in among citizens to follow the guidance.
“It’s just a matter of using the tools we have in place,” he said. “If we can get 95 percent social distancing and mask compliance, it’s dramatic what would happen. It appears like there’s pretty good reason to believe that we’re wearing masks less than the national average. I usually expect Minnesotans to be above average. Mask-wearing is free and it allows our businesses to stay open.”
As of Tuesday, the state has seen 20 consecutive days where the daily new case counts have been above 1,000, including multiple days with over 2,000 cases. Commissioner Malcom said on Monday that the increase in the rate of new cases is greater than the increase in testing, demonstrating that the virus continues to spread, primarily through community contacts in smaller gatherings.
Hospitalization rates, another measure of the severity of spread, are up 115 percent since mid-September, Malcom said.
The rapid increase in COVID cases is being driven by community spread, Malcom said, particularly in ceremonies, parties, and smaller groups.
“We’ve had more than 70 wedding-related outbreaks since June which have led to more than 650 primary cases,” Malcom said.
Walz was also asked about a Trump campaign event Monday in Hibbing featuring Vice President Mike Pence, who had several key staff members test positive in recent days. Walz said both presidential campaigns have been informed of Minnesota’s guidelines and asked to comply. When told that broadcast video of the Pence rally showed no social distancing and minimal mask-wearing, he was asked if the state would take any action against the Trump campaign. Walz’s response was resigned.
“No, I’m just disappointed to hear that,” he said.