Massachusetts public schools report 431 new coronavirus cases

Katie Lanna

Massachusetts public schools reported a total of 431 new cases of COVID-19 among students and staff with building access during the period from Dec. 24 through Jan. 6, a period that includes many schools’ winter breaks. Some schools have also opted to return from break in a remote learning mode out of concerns about post-holiday spread.

The weekly report from the Department of Elementary and Secondary logged 178 cases among students who are participating in hybrid or in-person learning and had been in a school building within seven days before report of the positive case, and 253 cases among staff. Marshfield had the highest number of student cases, with nine, followed by eight each in Hudson and Melrose. The most staff cases were Worcester’s 12, followed by Arlington’s 10.