NJ High School coronavirus outbreak caused by school party

A coronavirus outbreak occurred in New Jersey when at least a dozen students tested positive after attending a Labor Day weekend party.

Michael LaSusa, the superintendent of Chatham School District said that Chatham High School will remain on virtual instruction for the next two weeks. He added that they “will plan for in-person instruction to resume on Sept. 29.” Meanwhile “All extracurricular activities are also suspended during this time,” he stated.

Chatham Mayor Thaddeus Kobylarz and Police Chief Brian Gibbons said the Sept. 6 back-to-school party was “unwisely held.” The school closed on Sept. 10, just two days into the school semester.

“At least nine of these students are in Chatham Borough,” Kobylarz said about the coronavirus outbreak during the meeting “We do not know how big this outbreak will be. We do not know how many secondary infections there will be.”

You can read: New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy asks to stop crowded house parties

Kobylarz expressed his concern over children and older household members. “We are concerned that this kind of self-inflicted injury would occur here in Chatham Borough,” Kobylarz stated during the meeting.

In order to avoid a coronavirus outbreak, the mayor asked the public to maintain social distancing and wear a mask. “Most of all, avoid these unnecessary large gatherings where you don’t know if someone is infected or not,” he added.

School coronavirus outbreak

“This could be a matter of life or death,” he said. “It was in very poor judgment to hold the party right before school. It was selfish on the part of the parents. This undermines all the efforts of the school to get school back on track,” Gibbons said during the council meeting.

The report also said the police chief stated there will be an investigation. “This is about protecting families from a terrible disease. I think it could be a case of criminal liability.”

Town officials recommended during the meeting that the public cooperate with contact tracing efforts. They also stressed self-quarantine to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

Meanwhile, LaSusa, the superintendent, said in his letter that the school will sanitize and ventilate all classrooms and spaces over the two-week period. It plans to reopen on Sept. 29.