Androscoggin County is the latest area of Maine to be classified as “yellow” under the state’s COVID-19 risk assessment for schools as cases continue to surge across the state.
Androscoggin joins Knox, Franklin, Washington and Somerset counties under the yellow designation, which means schools are advised to limit capacity and move toward a hybrid model of education. Districts must also halt sports and extracurricular activities.
In a written release issued Friday, state officials said that the positivity rate in Androscoggin County has tripled in the past week, while rates in other “yellow” counties have also continued to grow. The state is also monitoring four other counties — Kennebec, York, Cumberland and Hancock — which are currently classified as green, but have seen “notable” increases in new cases.
Despite the surge in cases across the state, the Maine Department of Education says schools are still relatively safe. The agency says that over the past month, the new case rate in Maine schools is less than half of the state as a whole.
