Rising coronavirus numbers at schools growing concern in New Jersey
NEW JERSEY (WABC) -- Coronavirus numbers continue to rise across New Jersey, causing officials to give warnings about cases in schools and celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday.
New Jersey's positivity rate would now put the state on its own quarantine list after seeing 973 positive tests across the state Wednesday.
Anyone traveling to New York, New Jersey or Connecticut from states where there are 10 cases per 100,000 residents must quarantine for 14 days.
RELATED | 3 states added, none removed from Tri-State Travel Advisory quarantine list
Gov. Phil Murphy says many of the latest coronavirus cases involve young people and the hot spots in Monmouth and Ocean counties.
He warned that it is important to maintain vigilance with indoor gatherings and it is time to start thinking about Thanksgiving and the holiday season.
"We urge everyone to take stock of how many people you may be inviting to your Thanksgiving table," Murphy said.
State leaders are encouraging residents to be cautious and stay close to home during the upcoming holiday season.
Cases at schools are a growing concern. Murphy said Thursday that 22 outbreaks can be traced to schools for a total of 83 individual cases.
The New Jersey Department of Health and Department of Education will continue to work with educational communities and local health departments to deal with new cases quickly and keep schools safe.
With that in mind, the Paterson school board made a decision Wednesday to extend remote learning until Jan. 19.
The superintendent says the data shows that school districts in the county have been forced to shut down in-person learning due to flare-ups from the virus.
With the holidays fast-approaching, there is no reason to bring the city's 29,000 students back to class for short sessions.
RELATED | Thanksgiving gatherings pose a high COVID risk, Dr. Fauci says
The district says Passaic County ranks third in the state in the number of new cases linked to in-school transmission.
As a result, several schools in the county including The Haledon School, Pompton Lakes High School, Passaic Valley High School, Passaic County Technical Institute have suspended in-person instruction for a time.
The district says the state's transmission rate has been on the rise for five weeks now.
Parents and students are disappointed with the extension of virtual learning but they say safety comes first.
RELATED | Paterson schools extend remote learning till mid-January
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