Coronavirus in Tampa Bay schools: a weekly update
After holding steady for months even as adults were being vaccinated, coronavirus case counts in Tampa Bay area schools are finally dropping precipitously.
From a high point of more than 1,000 earlier in the year, this past week will likely show a total below 300, even after Friday’s cases from Pinellas County are counted next week.
The drop could add urgency to a drive by some parents to lift the masking orders for summer and fall. While area schools have continued to require masks for the current year, parents who oppose student masking have been increasingly vocal. A large group is expected at Tuesday’s 4 p.m. Hillsborough County School Board meeting, where the topic will come under discussion.
The Tampa Bay Times will continue to record the cases on the interactive map below until the school year ends. As in past reports, the article does not name schools with only one or two cases.
Hernando County: The 24 cases reported in the district included four each at Springstead and Nature Coast Technical high schools and three each at Deltona Elementary, Winding Waters K-8 and Fox Chapel Middle School.
Hillsborough County: Armwood High had the most cases, with seven.
Davidsen Middle School and Riverhills Elementary had five cases each.
These schools had three cases each: Alonso High, SLAM-Apollo Beach, and Strawberry Crest High.
There were 10 staff cases in the school district offices.
Pasco County: Six cases were reported this week among students in MySchool Online. Five were reported at Northwest Elementary.
There were four cases each at J.W. Mitchell High and Schrader Elementary.
There were three cases at Mary Giella Elementary.
Pinellas County: The 67 cases reported in the district this week included four each at Hollins and Countryside high schools.
There were three cases each at Anona Elementary, Pinellas Technical College-St. Petersburg and Safety Harbor Middle School.
The four area districts combined had a total of 255 cases. Since schools opened in August, the Times has tracked 16,872 cases.
Earlier reports:
