Recently, as many Maywood Academy students have started coming back to school from winter break, there has been a spike of Covid-19 cases. When the second semester started many students who had gone on vacation for the holidays came back from different places with no idea whether or not they could have been exposed to someone with Covid-19. This could have led to them possibly bringing back something with them and spreading it to lots of people in the school.

Maywood Academy assistant principal Norma Carmona responds to the rising of Covid-19 cases by posting weekly updates on Schoology about COVID testing and cases on the grounds.

“We held our weekly Covid-19 testing Thursday, January 13th, and had 59 positive results. Please be aware that you may have been exposed to someone who tested positive for Covid-19 and we are working to contact all close contacts,” Carmona said.

The weekly updates show how many cases are being reported week over week. For example, at the beginning of the second semester there were 150 cases reported, and then following week there were 60 positive cases reported. This ultimately makes Maywood students aware of how easy it is getting in contact with Covid-19. 

“There has been a rise, and it was reported in 150 cases, because of all the holiday events and the new omicron variant, and there are some other reasons why there has been a rise,” Carmona said.

As days pass by, more Covid-19 cases are being reported. A few students have reported feeling concerned about the Covid-19 protocols that the school is following and how the administration reinforces those protocols. 

“I think the school administration should reinforce the covid protocols. Why I feel strongly on the topic was because my mom, unfortunately, got Covi-19 on December 23, 2021. One week later my grandma also tested positive. This caused a spread of Covid-19 to my aunt’s family which includes her husband and four kids. Eventually, the virus had taken a family member of mine in a span of four months,” a junior at Maywood Academy High School said. 

With the concern of the students, Carmona tries to assure students by reinforcing Covid-19 protocols.

“What we can do is to follow the regulations that the health department is asking us to do, which is to wear our surgical breathing masks, to wash our hands often, and to keep our mask on at all times, unless we are eating or drinking. When available to wipe down your space, we don’t know how it was sitting there before you, and if they have been infected, you’re protecting yourself from them as well.”