Nov. 12, 2020 2:45p
(WGTD)---All schools within the jurisdiction of the City of Racine's Health Department have been ordered closed from the Monday after Thanksgiving to Jan. 15th.
Racine Public Health Administrator Dottie-Kay Bowersox issued the order Thursday, saying that cases of COVID-19 over the past seven days have risen at a rate higher than what occurred last spring. 680 new cases have been reported along with two new deaths.
In addition to Racine, the department's jurisdiction includes Wind Point and Elmwood Park.
While Racine Unified has taught virtually since the start of the school year, most private schools in the area continued to offer in-person learning at least as an option. But Thursday's order also affects RUSD in that teachers and other staff have been using the buildings as a base to teach virtually. "This is a difficult decision that will certainly make a segment of the population very unhappy," Bowersox said in a news release. "However, until all of our residents take the very real threat to health and life that this virus presents seriously, we will continue to have to make these tough decisions to slow the spread of COVID-19," she said.
Although the virus is being spread through family gatherings, retail establishments and work places, schools remain one of the largest gathering places, Bowersox noted. "After the holidays, those children and staff could become super spreaders in the community," she said. Significant spikes have occurred after every major holiday in the last nine months.
The Kenosha County Division of Health issued a similar school closure recommendation. But the recommendation was not issued as an order, and Kenosha Unified has already said it won't abide by it. Kenosha Unified has offered in-person teaching as an option since the start of the school year.
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