County Schools Reopen With Few Changes Amid Record COVID Surge

    Lake County Schools students returned to the classroom on Tuesday, after several weeks off that saw an explosion of COVID cases throughout the county. With 2,844 new cases reported in the county during the week ending December 31, Lake County is an unprecedented surge in cases, though how dangerous the omicron variant may be is unknown as serious illness and death - so far - appear to be less with the current variant than earlier iterations of the COVID 19 virus.
    To date, public officials across all local jurisdictions have declined to make large operational changes due to the omicron variant, including Lake County Schools.
    “We are just asking that students/staff who are sick and showing symptoms, please stay home,” said Sherri Owens, Communications Coordinator for Lake County Schools. “We also have distributed rapid test kits to our schools so that anyone who begins to show symptoms during the school day can be tested.” Parents will continue to be notified if their child has been exposed to another individual who tests positive.
    Additionally, the school system is continuing to partner with the Florida Department of Health in Lake County to offer vaccine events at selected schools around the county.
    This week, the nation topped over 1 million new COVID cases per day. Lake County's end-of-year surge was its highest weekly total since the pandemic began, besting a weekly report in late June that showed the county with 2,550. Health officials believe the larges infection numbers from omicron may still be ahead, but so far, hospitalizations and fatalities are not tracking at the same rate as in past infection events.