Gov. Murphy: 22 Coronavirus Outbreaks At NJ Schools In New Data

NEW JERSEY — Gov. Phil Murphy released new data that has identified 22 coronavirus outbreaks at New Jersey schools (see the list of regions below).

Murphy said New Jersey has created a dashboard that now tracks periodic school cases and outbreaks confirmed by local health departments.

Murphy said New Jersey has had minimal disruptions reported and that "any identified cases have been quickly dealt with to minimize the potential of in-school spread."

"In creating this, we have balanced transparency and public information with protecting the privacy of our school communities," Murphy said. "Our overarching aim has been that the schools do not themselves become the epicenters of new outbreaks."

Murphy, citing the new data, said 22 outbreaks – with a total of 83 cases linked to outbreaks – "is probably about as good as I would have hoped" for New Jersey after having schools open for nearly a month. Many schools reopened with strong safety standards. Read more: Gov. Murphy Issues NJ School Reopening Rules Amid Coronavirus

School and health officials noted that the number is low considering there are 3,000 schools in New Jersey.

"Those are pretty darned good results," Murphy said.

The numbers also give the state more confidence that schools can reopen their buildings after starting the year with remote learning, the governor said.

In the new data, the most outbreaks and cases were reported in Cape May and Gloucester counties (see data below).

The state Department of Health Department's county-by-county data of reported outbreaks, all traced to in-school transmission, is defined as:

• Two or more laboratory-confirmed coronavirus cases among students or staff within a 14-day period.
• The cases are epidemiologically linked with a school setting.
• The cases involve people who do not share a household and were not identified as close contacts of each other.

In-school transmission is defined as contact between students and/or school staff that occurs on school property. The cases and the outbreaks were uncovered through contact tracing.

Here were the county-by-county outbreaks and cases as of Oct. 16th:

Camden County

• Confirmed Outbreaks 2
• Linked Cases 11

• Confirmed Outbreaks 3
• Linked Cases 10

• Confirmed Outbreaks 2
• Linked Cases 10

Salem County

• Confirmed Outbreaks 2
• Linked Cases 10

• Confirmed Outbreaks 3
• Linked Cases 9

Ocean County

• Confirmed Outbreaks 3
• Linked Cases 9

• Confirmed Outbreaks 1
• Linked Cases 9

Burlington County

• Confirmed Outbreaks 2
• Linked Cases 6

Hunterdon County

• Confirmed Outbreaks 1
• Linked Cases 3

• Confirmed Outbreaks 1
• Linked Cases 2

Somerset County

• Confirmed Outbreaks 1
• Linked Cases 2

Sussex County

• Confirmed Outbreaks 1
• Linked Cases 2

Here were the county-by-county outbreaks and cases as of Sept. 30th:

Murphy noted that a number of schools are expected to reopen this week and that officials are watching to see if there is any change in the data.

It's not clear how many schools have actually shut down or switched to remote learning because of the coronavirus, but a number of Patch school districts have reported cases that have caused changes to their plans:

• Hillsborough Schools Stops Sports For 2 Weeks Due To COVID Cases
• Westfield Schools Say Student Coronavirus Cases May Be Connected
• Positive Coronavirus Case Reported At Clark Middle School
• Employee At Manasquan High School Tests Positive For COVID-19
• Belmar Coronavirus Cases Jump 13 Percent In September
• Montclair State Student, Staff Member Test Positive For COVID-19
• Ridgewood High Student Tests Positive For Coronavirus: District
• Westwood Regional Middle School Delays In-Person Instruction
• 2 From Barnegat Schools Test Positive For Coronavirus
• Mahwah's Joyce Kilmer School Remains Closed Through Wednesday
• 3 Mahwah Schools Close After Positive Coronavirus Cases This Week
• East Brunswick Teachers, Students Quarantine After COVID Contact
• Someone In Middletown South Football Program Positive For COVID
• Three Students At Christian Brothers Academy Positive For COVID
• Cranford Student Tests Positive For Coronavirus: Superintendent
• Clark Football Team Quarantined After Contact With Positive Cases
• Matawan Regional Football Team Currently In Quarantine
• Red Bank Regional COVID-19 Case Prompts School Closure
• Morristown High School All-Virtual Until At Least Friday
  

NJ Spotlight also allowed Patch to republish its list of school districts and their plans:

Murphy released the information as cases continue to trend upward in New Jersey, exceeding the daily number of 700 several times this past week for the first time in three months.

New Jersey officials said there is no evidence yet of a second wave of COVID-19 despite a recent spike in cases that pushed the total past 200,000. Read more: NJ: No Second Wave Of Coronavirus Yet Despite Recent Case Spike

Murphy announced that New Jersey will double its testing capacity after the Trump administration promised to supply the Garden State with millions of additional coronavirus tests this week. Read more: Gov. Murphy: NJ Gets 2.6M More Tests That Could Be 'Game Changer'

Watch Murphy here:

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