Five more students, 3 staffers at Greater Fall River schools test positive for COVID in past week

Five students and three school staff members from Greater Fall River schools have tested positive for COVID-19 within the past week, according to a report from the Department of Education.

The DOE's weekly report, which includes data from every school district in the state, noted that 201 students statewide have tested COVID-19-positive out of a population of about 450,000; 85 staffers with building access, out of a total population of about 75,000, tested positive.

The positive cases local are as follows:

- Fall River: two students, two staffers, including one student at Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School

- Swansea: two students, one staffer

- Westport: one student

The DOE does not release information for each individual school. This week, Superintendent Matt Malone instituted a one-day closure of Greene Elementary School for deep cleaning due to a positive COVID-19 case, and announced that a member of the Spencer Borden Elementary School community tested COVID-19-positive; he did not release whether that case was a student or staff member.

From Oct. 1 to 28, Greater Fall River schools have seen a total of 11 positive COVID cases in students and 13 in staff:

- Fall River: two students, seven staffers

- Swansea: six students, two staffers

- Westport: one student

- Diman: one student, one staffer

- Argosy Collegiate Charter School: one student, one staffer

In that same time period, Somerset schools, Somerset Berkley Regional, and Atlantis Charter School have not seen any new positive COVID-19 cases.