Six students and three staffers at a high school in Georgia tested positive for COVID-19 days after photos of a crowded hallway with no students wearing masks in the same building went viral, reports The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the school announced it will shift to online classes for two days.
"At this time, we know there were six students and three staff members who were in school for at least some time last week who have since reported to us that they have tested positive," reads a letter from North Paulding High School Principal Gabe Carmona to parents Saturday.
The Paulding County School District initially suspended one of the students who admitted to publicly posting one of the photos due to consent issues, but relented following pushback.
The photos have quickly become a symbol of how chaotic the first week back in U.S. classrooms has played out. Schools in Florida, Tennessee, Indiana, and North Carolina have had to either shut down or ask students to quarantine after positive COVID-19 tests.
Paulding, which is not mandating mask wearing for students and staff but supplying them for teachers, started school on Aug. 3.
The Georgia Department of Public Health says Paulding County has had 1,651 confirmed cases of the virus, 22 deaths, and 123 hospitalizations since the pandemic started.