Credit Courtesy of Hannah Vowell
For the first time since the beginning of the year, Unalaska students will soon return to their classrooms full-time.
Schools plan to reopen to in-person learning after spring break, regardless of the island s coronavirus risk level, according to Superintendent John Conwell, who spoke at a special school board meeting on Wednesday.
With 90 percent of district employees and many residents who are considered most vulnerable now vaccinated against the coronavirus, Conwell said the district is ready to reopen its doors to students. It seems that we re turning the corner on the virus in most parts of the nation, Conwell said. And it looks like we re in a position to safely open schools, of course, still following our mitigation protocols and keeping an eye on the transmission rate.
New COVID-19 cases dash hopes of relaxed restrictions in Unalaska thebristolbaytimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thebristolbaytimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Unalaska reestablishes hunker down order January 14th |
As Unalaskans are once again being asked to stay at home as much as possible after the city raised its coronavirus risk level to high last Thursday, students are left in limbo awaiting transition to distance education.
The city reported four cases of COVID-19 on Jan. 6, and since then, has confirmed three additional cases through contact tracing, according to City Manager Erin Reinders. Unfortunately, at this point, we can no longer define these as isolated cases, she said at a special City Council meeting last Friday afternoon. They are community acquired with unknown origin and not travel-related, and additional positives outside of the household have been identified through contact tracing.