Pittsburgh’s Colfax K-8 closed after covid-19 cases spike – TribLIVE

Colfax K-8 in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill will be closed until Friday because of a spike in covid-19 cases, school district officials said.

The school closed Tuesday after covid-19 cases exceeded the school’s 5% threshold for closing, disinfecting and masking.

As of Monday, there were 33 cases among Colfax students and staff members over the previous 14 days, amounting to at least 5% of the students and staffers in the building, according to the Pittsburgh Public Schools dashboard.

No one can go into the Beechwood Boulevard school building until Friday to allow time for cleaning and disinfecting. All events and activities are canceled through the end of the week.

When the building reopens, students, staff and visitors will have to wear a mask through May 23, officials said.

Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12 closed Monday for three days because covid-19 cases rose above the 5% threshold. The Downtown Pittsburgh school will remain closed until Friday, and face masks will be required through May 20.

Both schools are operating via remote learning.

The rise in cases comes about a week after Pittsburgh Public Schools dropped its mask mandate — one of the last districts in the region to do so.

Masks for most will remain optional as long as Allegheny County remains in a low level of covid-19 spread, as laid out by federal guidelines.

The initial proposal called for restoring the mandatory masking policy if the county reached the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s benchmark for a high level of covid spread. Board member Jamie Piotrowski proposed restoring it if the county reached a moderate level of covid spread, and the board adopted her amendment in a 5-3 vote.