coronavirus

Swampscott's ‘Largest Outbreak of COVID' Moves High School Into Remote Learning

About 100 students and families in Swampscott, Massachusetts, may have been exposed to coronavirus

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A Massachusetts high school has switched to remote learning after what officials are calling the largest coronavirus outbreak in Swampscott since the start of the pandemic.

Swampscott High School is closed to in-person learning until at least April 5 after the potential exposure of about 100 students and families.

"This week, the high school was forced to switch back to a remote learning model due to the largest outbreak of COVID cases the town has seen through this entire pandemic," Superintendent Pamela Angelakis said in an email to families.

According to the district's COVID-19 dashboard, 24 students and staff have tested positive this March at the high school. An additional 62 have shown symptoms and have either declined testing or have not yet received their results yet.

A district official said the large number of positive cases, and the even larger number of close contacts, means the case count could go up as contract tracing continues.

The school district is setting up a mobile testing van in a parking lot to facilitate contact tracing.

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