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5th graders at Cobb elementary to learn virtually Aug. 12-20

By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Updated  August 11, 2021 11:52pm EDT
Cobb County School District
FOX 5 Atlanta

Students in Cobb County sent home due to COVID-19

Several students and staff at a Cobb County elementary school tested positive for COVID-19 and were sent home.

COBB COUNTY, Ga. - Some students at one Cobb County elementary school are shifting to virtual learning through next week following an outbreak of COVID-19, school officials confirmed.

According to a Cobb County School District spokesperson, fifth-graders at East Side Elementary will learn virtually August 12-20 based on district protocols.

"When providing high-quality instruction in a classroom is not possible, due to the number of students or staff in quarantine, we look forward to each student receiving a high-quality virtual experience through Cobb teachers and the Cobb Teaching and Learning System (CTLS)," Cobb County Schools sent in a statement to FOX 5.

SEE ALSO: 'Talk to your doctor': Kemp urges Georgians to strongly consider getting vaccinated

SE Georgia hospitals cope with COVID-19 surge

Hospitals in southeast Georgia say they are coping with the worst they have seen in COVID-19 surges since the start of the pandemic.

The district recently released new health protocols, which have some parents concerned. 

"The new guidelines have several holes in them. We have a lot of parents who are justified in being upset now," Cobb School Board member Dr. Jaha Howard told FOX 5.

Delta variant surge complicating return to the office plan

As Georgia experiences the fourth wave of COVID-19, many companies are delaying in person returns to the workplace and grappling with how to handle unvaccinated employees.

The new protocols state that students or staff who have had close contact with someone who has COVID-19 but isn't showing any symptoms, do not have to quarantine. They can return to school as long as they wear a mask for 10 days.

RELATED: Parents upset they can't switch their children from the classroom to virtual learning

Georgia’s seven-day rolling average of positive COVID-19 tests rose above 5,300 on Tuesday, the worst since early February. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients rose above 3,600, continuing to climb by 100 or more a day even as hospital leaders warn that bed space is beginning to dwindle in some parts of the state.

The delta variant has fueled a surge in new cases and hospitalizations in the U.S., largely among those who remain unvaccinated. To date, 50.3% of the total U.S. population is fully vaccinated, CDC data shows. 

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