Georgia School in Viral Crowded Photo Closes For Cleaning After 9 Test Positive

A Georgia school embroiled in a controversy sparked by a viral photo showing a crowded hallway filled with maskless kids will briefly close after nine positive tests, CBS News reports.

North Paulding High School in Dallas, Georgia came under heavy criticism last week when a viral photo showed students without masks packed in tight quarters after schools reopened in the state.

Two students who shared photos of the hallway were suspended, though their punishments were reversed after widespread condemnation.

A student later said that students at the school are not required to wear masks.

School closed:

Six students and three staff members have tested positive since the photo went viral.

The school temporarily shuttered for cleaning for Monday and Tuesday, leaving only remote learning for its students.

Extracurricular activities were also canceled for those days.

A letter sent to parents says that students will be informed on Tuesday whether they can return to class.

The building will be "thoroughly cleaned and disinfected" while the school is closed, the letter said.

Child infections spike:

At least 97,000 children in the US tested positive in the last two weeks of June, representing more than a quarter of all infections in children since the pandemic began, The New York Times reports.

More than 70% of the infections are in states in the South and West.

Missouri, Oklahoma, Alaska, Nevada, Idaho, and Montana have seen the highest spikes in child infections.

Though children rarely get severely sick from the coronavirus, a CDC report found that 570 people up to the age of 20 have been diagnosed with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children or MIS-C between March and July.

Most of the patients were previously healthy. About 40% were Latino and 33% were Black.

 

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