'Alarming': Multiple Oakland classrooms under quarantine due to COVID-19 cases
Oakland Unified School District is reporting 58 students and 10 staff members at all of their schools with COVID-19.
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Just one week back to school and we are learning of new COVID-19 cases in the Oakland Unified School District. Students and staff from two classrooms, at two separate schools, are in quarantine right now.
At Oakland High School, COVID-19 warning signs are out, but there's nothing that mentions the classroom of students and staff that is now in coronavirus quarantine protocol after at least three people tested positive for the virus.
"I expected people to catch COVID but I didn't think it was gonna be the first week," says 12th grader Jayshon Jones.
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Jones was in a mask and face shield when we talked with him. He isn't sure which classroom was quarantined, but is being cautious. At Oakland High, a total of 16 students or staff members have tested positive for COVID-19.
Montclair Elementary also has a classroom under quarantine after three positive cases. In total there are five COVID-19 cases at the school.
"It is alarming but not surprising," said one parent. While concerned yes, parents we spoke with are not ready to pull their kids out.
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The Oakland Unified School District is reporting 58 students and 10 staff members at all of their schools with COVID-19.
The district and doctors we spoke with remain optimistic.
"So far we haven't seen any cases since school opened that we know are community transmitted within our schools," says John Sasaki with the Oakland Unified School District.
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"Most of the kids get it from the community, the school is actually a really controlled environment," says Dr. Peter Chin-Hong of UCSF.
And as for the kids, they are also staying strong.
"It doesn't really concern me because it wasn't my class, so I'm not really tripping over it," says 9th grader Romeo Coreas.
"I think I'll be okay as long as I keep my mask on," says Mathias Weyhmiller.
To put the numbers in perspective, we're talking about 68 cases at Oakland Unified's more than 80 schools, with around 35,000 students who are back, so the percentage of COVID-19 cases within the district is still very low.
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