NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — On Monday, NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS) announced the latest information on how the district is managing the Covid-19 pandemic amidst a new school year.
Key takeaways from this week’s update:
- Active cases and quarantined individuals
- Providing walk-up testing for students and staff twice a week
Active Cases and Quarantine Numbers
NOLA-PS reports that current school Covid-19 guidelines are helping keep students safe with routine testing and quarantine measures.
Officials report the latest cases within the school district track closely to the spread of Covid-19 within the city of New Orleans, rather than showing any evidence of spread inside school buildings.
| Active Cases | In Quarantine | Notes: |
| 299 (53 staff, 246 students) | 3,004 | Data includes schools that have not opened yet. 102 out of the 299 positive cases had zero close contact since they had not been present at their respective school. |
“This week’s data is reflective of community spread and reflective of the increases in cases in the greater New Orleans area. While 299 positive cases were identified last week, 102, or a third of those students and staff, never set foot in their respective schools. Based on our proactive protocols, the close contacts of those individuals, 3,004 people, are undergoing quarantines. While these numbers are high, quarantine reflects our mitigation efforts in action that help to keep students and staff safe. As a result of these mitigation efforts, COVID-19 transmission in our schools remains very uncommon.”
NOLS-PS Medical Advisor Dr. Benjamin F. Springgate, August 16, 2021
Walk-Up Testing
In this week’s update, NOLA-PS also announced the district would begin offering walk-up testing in addition to its mobile testing and vaccination programs.
The testing is open to all NOLA-PS students, teachers, and staff.
Testing Sites and Days:
- Tuesdays from 3-6 p.m. at the Central Office (2401 Westbend Parkway)
- Fridays from 3-6 p.m. at Living School (6003 Bullard Avenue)
Additional Information from NOLA-PS
Visit the NOLA-PS COVID Case Tracker dashboard to view the school district’s COVID-19 latest data. The tracker reports active cases over an approximate two-week period.