Maine will reassess whether it’s safe for Penobscot and York county schools to reopen
Maine is still giving schools in every county the green light to reopen in person, but that green light comes with a caveat in Penobscot and York counties due to recent outbreaks and increasing case numbers.
The Maine Department of Education on Friday updated its color-coded system advising schools on whether it’s safe to reopen for in-person instruction. All Maine counties have remained in green territory since the state introduced the advisory system on July 31.
However, the state plans to reassess the safety of in-person schooling in Penobscot and York counties next week, just as many schools are starting the academic year. The two counties have been affected by the state’s most sprawling outbreak to date connected to an Aug. 7 wedding and reception in the Millinocket area.
The state has now connected 87 cases to that wedding and linked two other outbreaks to the initial one. One of those outbreaks is at the York County Jail in Alfred, where at least 18 people have tested positive for the coronavirus. A staff member who attended the wedding was among the first at the jail to test positive.
Schools in the Millinocket area have already delayed their openings by two weeks because of the wedding outbreak. Several staff members in the East Millinocket School Department, including the superintendent, tested positive for the coronavirus after a school staff member worked at the wedding as a musician.
York County has also recently seen at least four cases among firefighters associated with the Sanford, Buxton and Saco fire departments.
The state’s color-coded advisory system gives counties a green designation if it’s safe to return in person, a yellow designation if the state recommends a hybrid approach to schooling that combines remote and in-person instruction and a red designation when the state recommends fully remote learning.
While the entire state has the green designation, most districts are preparing for a school year that combines in-person and remote learning.