PATERSON, N.J. (WCBS 880) — Paterson school officials announced Wednesday that all public schools will switch to remote learning through Jan. 18 amid a rising number of COVID-19 cases.
The announcement came one day after officials decided Eastside High School and John F. Kennedy High School would be switching to remote learning for the remainder of the week.
“The rising numbers of COVID-19 cases due to multiple variants are cause for concern for all of us,” Superintendent Eileen Shafer said. “A surge of new cases has occurred in northeastern New Jersey, and it is expected that the trend will continue through the holiday break.”
According to Paterson Public School officials, students will have a 1 p.m. dismissal on Thursday and the district’s schools and offices will be closed for the holiday break from Dec. 24 through Jan. 3, 2022.
The period of remote learning will begin Tuesday, Jan. 4 and the district’s schools and offices will reopen on Jan. 18.
Paterson is not the first district to announce remote learning amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in New Jersey, driven by the highly contagious omicron variant.
To prevent more closures in the new year, Gov. Phil Murphy has said he is considering a new program that would allow unvaccinated students, who are exposed to COVID-19, remain in their classrooms after receiving a negative test.
According to data from the state’s Department of Health, New Jersey recorded nearly 10,000 new cases on Tuesday and hospitalizations continued to climb, reaching 2,100.
While experts say omicron might be less severe than other strains of COVID-19, they believed the high transmissibility rate is concerning.
Officials in New Jersey are continuing to urge vaccinations, and booster shots, as the best way to fighting off the virus.
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