(La Porte, IN) - School buildings in the La Porte Community School Corporation will continue being open five days next week despite the number of COVID-19 cases rising locally.
Schools Superintendent Mark Francesconi said the Indiana State Department of Health has moved La Porte County from blue to yellow under a color coded system governing the amount of days school buildings can be open. The change was in response to an increase in the number of people countywide testing positive for the virus.
Francesconi said a yellow code means schools can be open the following week for five days under stricter guideless like greater social distancing in buildings. “Increased vigilance on our behalf is what this calls for,” he said.
According to the ISDH, the previous seven day positivity rate in La Porte County increased from 5.6 percent Wednesday to 6.2 percent on Thursday based on figures released on Friday. The positivity rate in La Porte County had recently dipped below three-percent before surging to current levels.
Francesconi said about a dozen students and staff members tested positive for the virus this week. The highest number of students and staff members testing positive in any previous week was three, he said. He indicated a factor in the number of cases rising is an increase in the amount of people being tested. “Our numbers are reflected in that as well,” he said.
