An elementary school in Arlington, Massachusetts, is back open after a student tested positive for the novel coronavirus, a development that prompted closures to clean the facility.
The Stratton Elementary School student who tested positive for COVID-19 is now doing well and recovering at home, according to officials.
That school underwent a second round of cleaning Monday and was closed for the day as school and health officials worked to pinpoint any close contacts of the infected child.
Close to 30 people connected with the school — including students and staff — are now being quarantined.
The student's mother, who has also tested positive for coronavirus, had attended the Biogen conference in Boston last month.
Town leaders say another parent and student at a different Arlington elementary school are also showing symptoms and being tested.
Officials said the decision to open schools was made after thorough consideration.
“We look at the science, we look at the data, we look at the guidance from state and federal and there a lot of factors that go into this,” said Christine Bongiorno, director of the town's health and human services department.
Arlington health officials set up a coronavirus hotline for parents and residents Monday night and answered more than 100 calls Tuesday morning.
They want to stress that right now the focus is on controlling the spread of this among children so that it doesn’t get to the older population.
Stratton parent Dipen Fangurdekar said that they were putting their trust in school officials.
”Obviously we are concerned with what’s going on. We are trusting the school district that they are making the right decision," Fangurdekar said.
