Over 90,000 students have been forced to quarantine after contracting or coming into contact with their infected classmates within the first two weeks of the new school year.

The infections have occurred in 19 different states as the Delta variant continues to spread. More than 180,000 children have tested positive between Aug. 12 and Aug. 19, accounting for 4% of the 4.5 million child COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began. Children have now accounted for 1 out of 5 new COVID cases in the past week, with 1,400 of them being hospitalized in pediatric inpatient beds across the country, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

When factoring in reports of school teachers and staff being infected the number rises to 154,000 people quarantining as cold and flu season approaches.

Mississippi has seen the worst of the pandemic as they have had to quarantine 65,525 of their K-12 students for either testing positive or getting exposed, according to the Mississippi Department of Health. At least six children have died in Mississippi due to complications from COVID-19, according to the Clarion-Ledger.

Atlanta-area schools have also struggled with COVID-19 cases as they have reported 23,000 infected students and staff being infected, with 100 people needing to be quarantined in the first week. Thousands of students have also been forced to quarantine in states such as Louisiana and Florida as well.

Students and teachers are being advised to wear a mask by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Iowa, Oklahoma, Utah, Arizona, and South Carolina have all imposed bans on mandating masks. Many Republican governors have stated that parents should make decisions concerning their child’s health, rather than the school district or state government.

Half of Florida’s 2.8 million students are required to wear masks by making them part of the student dress code in defiance of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ orders due to Florida’s rising COVID-19 cases.

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