51 N.J. schools have had coronavirus outbreaks, state says. Here’s why that number seems low. - NJ.com

Although hundreds of school districts have announced coronavirus cases and dozens of New Jersey schools have temporarily shut down since the start of the school year, state health officials said Thursday just 51 schools have had confirmed COVID-19 outbreaks.

The weekly statistics released on the state’s COVID-19 dashboard include 15 new outbreaks in ten counties. That brings the totals to 193 cases in 51 schools since schools began reopening in late August.

The 15 new outbreaks reported this week include schools in: Camden (3 new outbreaks); Burlington (2), Gloucester (2); Salem (2); Bergen (1); Hudson (1); Sussex (1); Warren (1); Monmouth (1) and Mercer (1) counties.

Why do New Jersey’s school outbreak numbers seem so low when so many school have announced positive cases?

It’s because the state narrowly defines “school outbreaks” as cases in which local health department contact tracers determined students, teachers or school staff most likely contracted the virus on school property or during school activities, state health officials said.

So, the outbreak numbers only reflect a fraction of the New Jersey schools that have had positive COVID-19 cases.

Students and teachers who caught the coronavirus off of school grounds from relatives or friends, at parties or at other outside activities are not counted in the outbreak totals. Schools that shut down due to multiple COVID-19 cases are also not included in the outbreak statistics unless the health investigation concluded people transmitted the virus while within the school.

For example, Essex County is listed as having zero school outbreaks since the start of the school year. However, multiple schools in the county, including in Montclair, West Orange and North Caldwell, are among those that have closed temporarily due to positive cases.

Those school closures were not counted as outbreaks because local health investigations were either inconclusive, not completed yet or determined students and teachers did not transmit the virus to each other at school.

Gov. Phil Murphy cited the relatively low number of outbreaks as one of the reasons why he does not currently plan to order all schools to switch to remote learning as the “second wave” of the virus hits New Jersey.

“We are not closing our schools,” Murphy said Thursday at his coronavirus press briefing in Trenton.

How many student and teachers in New Jersey tested positive for COVID-19 statewide?

New Jersey officials have not publicly tracked the total number of coronavirus cases reported at schools, but it is likely in the hundreds, maybe thousands.

There have been more than 300 New Jersey schools that have had at least one coronavirus case, according to a database compiled by the National Education Association. That data comes from teachers and others self-reporting announcements of cases at their schools.

How many New Jersey schools have closed due to coronavirus cases?

New Jersey officials have also not publicly tracked when districts close school buildings temporarily due to coronavirus cases.

Some schools close for a few days for cleaning. Others close for 14 days or more so students and teachers can quarantine at home while remote learning.

Dozens of districts have temporarily closed schools, according to lists compiled by NJ Advance Media since the start of the school year. In recent weeks, schools were temporarily closed in Westfield, Phillipsburg, Howell, Keyport, Woodbridge, Cherry Hill, Medford, Delran, Elmwood Park, Elizabeth and other districts.

Other districts have announced they are either switching to all-remote learning or continuing virtual learning until early next year due a rise in COVID-19 cases. The districts that will remain all-remote until at least January or February include Newark, Paterson, Bloomfield, Dover, Boonton and East Brunswick.

What are the names of the schools with confirmed outbreaks?

Citing the need to protect the privacy of teachers and students, the state has not released the names of the 51 schools that have had confirmed outbreaks.

What counties have had school outbreaks?

The 51 school outbreaks include:

Atlantic County: 1 school outbreak with 2 cases.

Bergen County: 6 school outbreaks with a total of 17 cases.

Burlington County: 4 school outbreaks with a total of 10 cases

Camden County: 9 school outbreaks with a total of 54 cases.

Cape May County: 3 school outbreaks with a total of 10 cases.

Cumberland County: 1 school outbreak with 3 cases.

Gloucester County: 4 school outbreaks with a total of 18 cases.

Hudson County: 2 school outbreak with 8 cases.

Hunterdon County: 1 school outbreak with 3 cases.

Mercer County: 1 school outbreak with 2 cases.

Middlesex County: 1 school outbreak with 3 cases.

Monmouth County: 1 school outbreak with 2 cases.

Ocean County: 4 school outbreaks with a total of 16 cases.

Passaic County: 1 school outbreak with 9 cases.

Salem County: 4 school outbreaks with a total of 18 cases.

Somerset County: 2 school outbreaks with a total of 4 cases.

Sussex County: 3 school outbreaks with a total of 7 cases.

Warren County: 3 school outbreaks with a total of 7 cases.

Have any counties had no school outbreaks?

Three counties have no confirmed school outbreaks — Essex, Union and Morris counties.

Are state officials concerned about the school outbreaks?

Murphy has said several times that the state takes every COVID-19 case seriously, but he has not been alarmed by the number of school outbreaks. The numbers remains relatively low considering New Jersey has more than 3,000 public and private school buildings.

State officials attributed strict social distancing measures and mandatory mask requirements at schools with helping keep the outbreak numbers low.

“These numbers are lower than any of use could have anticipated,” Murphy said Thursday.

However, state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said contact tracing is not exact. It’s not always possible for people to trace exactly where they got the coronavirus and many people do not cooperate with contact tracers to complete an investigation, she said.

Why do some schools shut down when someone tests positive for COVID-19, while others don’t?

New Jersey’s guidelines leave the decision on whether to close a school up to local school and health officials.

Under the guidelines, schools should shut down for 14 days if there are two or more positive cases in separate classrooms with no clear indication of how the people contracted the virus.

If there is one case in a school, the building does not need to be shut down. But anyone who had close contact with the person who tested positive should stay home for 14 days.

However, many school districts go beyond the state guidelines and close a school building for cleaning for several days even if only one person has tested positive. Other districts have switched entire schools to remote learning for weeks even if their cases have all been in a single classroom.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com.

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51 N.J. schools have had coronavirus outbreaks, state says. Here’s why that number seems low. - NJ.com
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