Four Georgia school districts have shut down in-person learning due to increases in COVID-19 infections.
Macon County closed Wednesday, becoming the fourth district to close. Taliaferro, Glascock, and Talbot counties have also shut down schools due to COVID-19, according to Fox News.
Talbot County had to transition to online learning after 11 students contracted COVID-19, according to WTVM.
“The difference now in this outbreak that we see than the outbreak that happened last school year is that this seems to be more centered on kids… rather than adults so that scares me to death,” Talbot County school district’s superintendent Dr. James Catrett said.
Talbot school district emphasized their dedication to keeping children safe. “At this stage of the game, first week of school, we hated that it shut down but again, safety is our number one issue,” Catrett told WRBL News.
These closings come as Georgia’s confirmed positive COVID-19 cases total over 4,300. Republican Gov. of Georgia Brian Kemp does not plan to mandate masks or vaccinations, reports WJBF. (RELATED: Chicago Teacher’s Union Says Delta Variant Could Derail Plans To Return To School In-Person)
Georgia’s policy is in contrast to California’s recent statewide vaccine or COVID-19 test mandate for all school employees.