Coronavirus Live Updates: Several CT schools temporarily closing after students test positive

COVID-19 Live Updates, News and Information

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

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NEW YORK (WABC) -- A number of schools across Connecticut have closed their buildings or sections of them as COVID-19 cases begin popping up among staff and students.

Students at East Hartford, Westbrook and West Haven high schools have all announced they will switch to remote learning until Thursday after students tested positive for the coronavirus in those buildings.

Killingly High School and Bridgeport's Tisdale School were closed for at least Monday after positive tests there. It was not clear when those schools will reopen to in-person learning.

The Dag Hammarskjold Middle School in Wallingford said it will be closed until Wednesday at the earliest while the local health department conducts contact tracing on a member of the school community who received a positive coronavirus test.

The Chase Elementary School in Waterbury remains open, but students in a specific classroom have been ordered into quarantine after a classmate tested positive. That class will switch to remote learning through Thursday.

All those schools have said they will conduct deep cleaning during the closures to help prevent the spread of the virus.

What to know about coronavirus:

Back to school information

How coronavirus changed the New York region

Do you have coronavirus symptoms?

What's Open, What's Closed in the Tri-State area

Here are more of today's headlines:

DHS pausing move of homeless from Upper West Side hotel

The Department of Homeless Services says it is pausing any moves from the Lucerne Hotel on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city is going to look at what they should or should not be doing in hotels at this point.

New Yorkers get creative to help keep masks from getting lost

An entire cottage industry is shaping up around chains traditionally used for reading glasses that can now be used for masks.

Health experts urge flu shots in effort to avoid 'twindemic'

With people so focused on keeping coronavirus at bay, many health officials are worried people will forget about getting a flu shot. And the results, they say, could be catastrophic.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade won't be live this year

The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will be a television-only event this year due to COVID-19, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday. Still, Macy's promises a reimagined version of the iconic holiday event for the 94th annual parade.

"It will not be the same parade we are used to, it will be a different kind of event," de Blasio said. "They are reinventing the event for this moment in history."

Positive Cases in NYC Schools

Mayor Bill de Blasio reported 55 positive coronavirus cases among NYC Schools staff members. He says that's a positivity rate of 0.32% among the 16,982 tested. One school was closed and one is reopening on Monday as a result of the tests. 98% of COVID-19 test results are back within 48 hours.

Positive tests prompt all-remote learning in several NJ schools

A school district and an elementary school in New Jersey are switching to all-remote learning after positive COVID-19 test results. All students attending Griebling Elementary School in Howell will be remote for the next three days as county health officials work on contact tracing. And Frankford Township School District is switching to remote learning for two days after a student tested positive.

NYSC owner files for Chapter 11

The owner of New York Sports Clubs says it's filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Town Sports International announced on Monday that it has reached an agreement with its senior secured lenders to support its ongoing operations through a voluntary Chapter 11 filing. The filing includes New York Sports Clubs, Boston Sports Clubs, Philadelphia Sports Clubs Washington Sports Clubs, Lucille Roberts, Total Woman and Around the Clock Fitness brands.

MTA to enforce mask rule

The MTA has started enforcing its new mask policy on trains and buses Monday, meaning not wearing a face covering is now punishable with a $50 fine. The new rule applies to subways, buses and all LIRR and Metro North trains.

Pfizer says it will know about COVID vaccine by next month

The CEO of Pfizer says we could know next month whether its coronavirus vaccine can be distributed to Americans by the end of this year.

"In our best case, we have quite a good chance, more than 60%, that we will know if the product works or not by the end of October," said Albert Bourla, Pfizer CEO. "But of course, that doesn't mean that it works. It means that we will know if it works."

The New York City-based drug maker has already manufactured hundreds of thousands of doses of the vaccine, so they're ready to go upon FDA approval. Meanwhile, New York state's infection rate continues to remain low, making it the 37th straight day that the rate has remained below 1%.

Pfizer says they hope to know by October if the vaccine works and if it can be distrubuted by the end of the year.

MORE NEWS: Watch Eyewitness to a Pandemic

The sense of doom grew, especially after March 1, when the first confirmed case arrived in Manhattan. Soon, there was a hotspot in New Rochelle, and small curfews and containment zones across the area offered a hint of a frightening future we still thought we could avoid.