By Stuart Foster, Contributing Writer
MARLBOROUGH – COVID-19 cases in Marlborough schools sharply decreased late last month, according to Schools Superintendent Michael Bergeron.
Speaking during a Sept. 28 School Committee meeting, Bergeron said that the number of total positive student cases in the Marlborough Public Schools (MPS) decreased from 20 during the week of Sept. 15 to just seven in the week of Sept. 22.
“That number has remained pretty constant; I believe we are at eight today,” Bergeron said of data as of Sept. 28. “[We’re] just waiting on an update, so that number has remained constant.”
The total number of active COVID-19 cases in the City of Marlborough had also decreased, dropping from 58 cases to 38 cases, between Sept. 20 and Sept. 29, according to archived Board of Health reports.
By the beginning of this month, though, they had begun to increase again, with 64 active cases recorded as of Oct. 13. There were 59 active cases as of Oct. 15.
Bergeron spoke to the School Committee again on Oct. 12. He reported that the schools had four positive cases as of Oct. 5. Bergeron said that the number had increased to eight such cases as of his most recent data.
“[That’s a] small increase since the last time, but nothing that is worrying us,” he said.
School officials across the state continue to eye local and regional COVID-19 data as they move through this current school year.
State Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeff Riley announced a mask mandate for schools in late August. He then extended that mandate on Sept. 27 to run through Nov. 1. Schools with 80-percent vaccination rates are allowed to apply to drop their mandate prior to that date, however.
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