Third Lewiston school designated as outbreak site

LEWISTON — McMahon Elementary School has been designated a COVID-19 outbreak site based on five cases within 14 days linked to the school.

An outbreak is defined by the Maine Center for Disease Control as three or more cases within a two-week period.

Lewiston High School was closed for deep cleaning last month when three people tested positive within 12 days. Lewiston Middle School had previously been designated as an outbreak site.

Four staff people at McMahon were identified by the CDC as testing positive within a two-week period, Superintendent Jake Langlais announced Friday. Later Friday night Langlais said a fifth teacher was identified as testing positive.

He said school officials met with Maine Department of Education and CDC contact tracers to review the situation.

“We identified that the last potentially infectious contact with McMahon Elementary School was Dec. 7,” Langlais said.

The school was closed Monday and all students and teachers are now assigned to remote instruction until Jan. 4.

Two staff people tested positive for the airborne virus Monday. Because they both work in many areas of the school, many students and other staff could have been exposed, Langlais said. He closed the school that day and sent students home. Ten staff and 71 students are in quarantine.

Two staff cases were reported this week at Connors Elementary School, but close contacts were few.

The Lewiston School Department has reported a total of 37 cases of COVID-19 since schools reopened Sept. 14. As of Friday, 20 staff and 17 students have been infected, according to the district’s website.

Edward Little High School in Auburn also was closed in November because of an outbreak.