WASHINGTON — Loudoun County Public Schools announced Monday that 13 more people in the district's community tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Five students, five staff members and three transportation staff members tested positive for COVID-19 recently, according to LCPS.
The latest news comes after near-weekly reports from the school district on how the virus has spread, as educators balance social distancing and a call for more in-person learning from parents.
The schools with students and staff members who tested positive for COVID-19 are Frances Hazel Reid Elementary School (student), Leesburg Elementary School (staff member), Madison’s Trust Elementary School (student), Steuart W. Weller Elementary School (student and staff member), Lightridge High School (staff member), Rock Ridge High School (staff member), Tuscarora High School (student), Brambleton Middle School (staff member) and Stone Hill Middle School.
LCSP said the three transportation staff members were used at Stone Hill Middle School. They did not specify if these were bus drivers or contributed to other transportation for the district.
All those with COVID-19 in the school district are self-isolating and not around others within the LCPS community.
Across Loudoun County, the 14-day number of new cases per 100,000 has been on the rise and reached "high-risk" levels at 154.6 according to health department metrics from earlier in November.
State and national coronavirus case numbers are also on the rise, which has prompted concerns among communities about how to move forward as a school district.
Virginia has recently seen more rises in COVID-19 cases. It's led to Gov. Ralph Northam putting more mandates that have scaled back in-person dining and limited hours of operations for businesses.
Recently, the Loudoun County school board decide third through fifth graders can return to the classroom in December.
LCPS has said the earliest middle and high schoolers would head back is late January.