Colfax Elementary okay to return, despite weekend spike

There were 69 new positive COVID tests reported Saturday and Sunday, at least one of which is in a Greek house congregate living situation.

According to Public Health Director Troy Henderson, there is a “strong connection” between the cases. All were from Pullman and mostly young adults. Thirteen cases were in people in the 0-19 age range and the rest in the 20-39 age range.

The spike coincides with the recent increase of Washington State University students to the Pullman area.

The increase in people in Whitman County does not change the metric used by Public Health to determine the risk category of the county. According to Henderson, the population count is based off Census numbers which include the WSU student population for approximately 53,000 county-wide.

This afternoon, Henderson released an update that Whitman County Health Department now supports hybrid or in-person learning for elementary schools in Colfax and Palouse. Previously, it had been recommended those elementary schools start in distance learning.

“Based on recent, current and projected COVID-19 activity, the Whitman County Health Department recommends distance learning for all Whitman County High Schools and Middle Schools. Although the County has recently seen a substantial increase in COVID-19 activity, it has been exclusive to the town of Pullman,” the press release states.

Public Health still recommends distance learning for Pullman elementary schools.

The update was made at too late a time to seek comment from Colfax school officials. Check tomorrow’s Bulletin for follow-up.