2 Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh schools temporarily closing

Two Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh schools are temporarily closing as coronavirus cases continue to spike across the state.

Northside Catholic Assumption Academy, located in Brighton Heights, will close for one day after a person associated with the school tested positive for covid-19, officials said.

According to Rosanne Kwiatkowski, Northside Catholic principal, the building will close Tuesdayto allow for contact tracing to occur. Officials will work with the Allegheny County Health Department moving forward and will update parents on the results of the contact tracing.

Another school, Mary of Nazareth Catholic School in White Oak will close for about two weeks next month.

According to Principal Lynda McFarland, no positive tests have been reported at the school; rather, they made the decision in an effort to keep students and staff healthy. Students at the school will begin remote learning Dec. 1, which was originally scheduled as the school’s first day back after Thanksgiving break.

“I believe it is in the best interest of the entire Mary of Nazareth community to be proactive in protecting all of the students and staff by allowing for a period of social distancing after the Thanksgiving break rather than bringing everyone back together without full knowledge of anyone’s private circumstances,” McFarland said.

The school will reopen to in-person learning Dec. 14.

According to the Allegheny County Health Department, 500 new covid cases were added Monday, making the county second only to Philadelphia County, which had 841 new cases Monday. In all, Allegheny County has had 20,526 positive cases and 459 deaths.