COLUMBUS, Ind. — The latest update on community spread from the COVID-19 Community Task Force shows that most COVID-19 indicators are in the minimal spread category and that in-person learning will continue for the week of Sept. 7.
The dashboard indicators guide Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. about whether or not schools can continue to meet for in-person learning, which began Aug. 10.
Whether or not in-person learning continues at BCSC depends whether certain COVID-19 data indicates that the school system is in a “minimal,” “moderate” or “substantial” spread category. Superintendent Jim Roberts has said in the past that an overall designation of substantial spread would result in a move to eLearning.
On Thursday, the task force posted the following data on its community spread dashboard:
- There are three new positive cases, with the number decreasing as of Sept. 2.
- Per capita positive rate is 6.8 and decreasing, as of Sept. 2.
- Percent positive test rate is 5.5% and decreasing, as of Aug. 29.
- There are five COVID hospitalizations and the number is decreasing, as of Sept. 2.
- Test turnaround is 2.5 days, and the number is decreasing, as of Sept. 2.
- Percent positive test rate, hospitalizations and test turnaround time are all in the minimal spread category.
- Per capita positive rate is in the moderate spread category. If it dips below 5.0, it will be in the minimal spread category as well.
Roberts said that the community COVID-19 data “has continued to improve” in the past month since schools reopened. He added that their internal data indicates that students who are learning remotely are actually more likely to have a positive test.
“Of 13 student positive test cases, nine have been enrolled in one of our remote learning options (out of 3,200 students) and four are receiving only in-person instruction (out of 8,200 students),” he said.
For more on this story, see Saturday’s Republic.
