HOBOKEN, N.J. (CBSNewYork) — It was again to high school on Monday for teenagers in New Jersey, although not everybody was within the classroom.
Some districts began off the brand new 12 months with distant studying, CBS2’s Kevin Rincon reported.
The continuing surge from the Omicron variant has meant a return to at-home studying for tens of hundreds of youngsters.
“The times main as much as winter break confirmed a spike in surge in numbers that we had not seen earlier than,” Newark Faculties Superintendent Roger Leon stated.
Leon is the top of the largest school system in the state, with near 37,000 college students. Final month alone, greater than 750 college students obtained sick, with 500 employees members testing constructive.
The district will keep digital for one more two weeks.
“Everybody ought to plan with the concept college students could be again in individual on the 18th,” Leon stated.
COVID VACCINE
It’s not simply Newark. A number of locations have gone distant for the primary few days of the brand new 12 months to permit them to get examined earlier than going again, and whereas particular person districts weigh their choices, the state gained’t pressure anybody to go distant.
“We at present don’t have any intention or plan to close our faculties,” Gov. Phil Murphy stated.
As a substitute, the governor stated testing will proceed and, for now, masks will nonetheless be required.
“This brings us completely no pleasure. Nobody needs to see our children’ smiles greater than I do, however that is what is important now to maintain our faculties secure,” Murphy stated.
As for teenagers uncovered to classmates who check constructive, New Jersey put out new steering over the weekend for what it name its “Check to Keep” program, for unvaccinated asymptomatic college students who check damaging.
“College students collaborating in Check to Keep are required to adjust to enhanced testing and masking suggestions, and may quarantine when not in faculties,” Well being Commissioner Dr. Judy Persichilli stated.
For now, there’s a scarcity of uniformity. In Hoboken, faculties might be closed for just a few days to permit college students to get city-funded PCR testing.
Elsewhere within the state, some districts are again with no testing in any respect. In these communities, many dad and mom at the moment are footing the invoice for their very own testing, for peace of thoughts.
However that’s proving problematic for a lot of, CBS2’s Ali Bauman reported.
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
Some households are struggling to even discover a check, after which ready days to get the outcomes.
“We’ve been informed to return right here, on an extended line within the chilly,” Beverly Terry of Hackensack stated.
It was Terry’s fifth try and get a check for her 14-year-old son.
“The college usually has three or 4 places the place you may get a check. They’re all closed and the pharmacy, Walgreens in Hackensack closed. It’s horrible,” Terry stated.
They had been lining up with the others exterior a MedRite website in Paramus, hoping to get an elusive PCR check.
“Lots of locations are simply fast COVID exams, so I used to be wanting throughout for PCR and a few locations that do have PCR take a few week or week and a half to get outcomes,” resident Valentina Velez stated.
However outcomes on the Paramus website are delayed, too. The positioning supervisor blamed a backup on the lab.
“They promised us ends in two to a few days and now it’s virtually 4 and a half days later and I nonetheless don’t have the outcomes,” the supervisor stated.
“He’s solely 14 and he doesn’t have the booster, so I simply wish to be cautious,” Terry stated.
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CBS2’s Kevin Rincon and Ali Bauman contributed to this report.
