Los Angeles school officials on Wednesday confirmed the first COVID-19 outbreak in the district at Grant Elementary School in Hollywood. An entire classroom of children was reportedly sent home to isolate.
The Los Angeles Department of Public Health confirmed that cases were confined to a single classroom.
City Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said in a press conference on Thursday that the Grant outbreak was only "one example" of what the department projects will be numerous outbreaks as the school year progresses.
"There will be more," Ferrer said, noting that outbreaks are expected to occur even as schools have strict indoor masking policies in place.
"While masks provide a significant amount of protection, they're not perfect," Ferrer said, adding that even in schools where there is full compliance with indoor masking requirements, there are still periods of the day where students may go unmasked, potentially transmitting COVID-19 to one another.
Students are not necessarily required to stay masked while eating lunch, or engaging in outdoor activities such as recess, Ferrer remarked.
Ferrer said the department is conducting an investigation into the outbreak at Grant Elementary. With those findings, it will likely develop and advise new transmission mitigation strategies for L.A. schools to implement going forward.