Ninety Crosby-Ironton students were absent from school Tuesday, Feb. 16, after either testing positive for or being exposed to COVID-19, Superintendent Jamie Skjeveland wrote in an email to families.

Only two students tested positive for the illness as of Tuesday afternoon, Skjeveland said during a phone interview, and the rest were deemed as close contacts, meaning they were within 6 feet of the positive students for more than 15 minutes.

Skjeveland said contact tracing is ongoing and school officials are trying to determine if the cases can be linked to a specific event or events, though the varsity, junior varsity and C-squad boys basketball games for Thursday, Feb. 11, and Tuesday, Feb. 16, were postponed.

“I can sit here and I can speculate. I can say, ‘Well, does it have anything to do with the cold weather, where people — kids and adults — have to be inside more frequently? Does that have anything to do with it? Are we being as vigilant with our mask wearing and safe distancing as we could have been and should have been?’” Skjeveland said. “These are questions that need to be answered going forward.”

Skjeveland said in his email he wants to remind families to help keep kids in school by adhering to health guidelines.

“Please remember to exercise caution by practicing safe social distancing, wearing a face covering and washing hands frequently,” he wrote in the email. “The pandemic is far from over. We ask that students and families help us keep our students in school by adhering to the safe social distancing guidelines.”

Families should contact the school nurse immediately if anyone in their household is experiencing flu-like symptoms.

New cases

New cases of COVID-19 in the seven-county region continue to accumulate, but at a much slower pace than in the fall and earlier this winter.

So far during the month of February, three area counties reported fewer than 30 new cases total: Aitkin, Cass and Morrison. Todd and Wadena counties each reported 39, while 49 Mille Lacs County residents tested positive. Only Crow Wing County — which has nearly twice the population of the next closest Morrison County — reported more than 100 new cases, with 147 total since Feb. 1.

A larger population alone doesn’t account for the difference in Crow Wing, however. The regional center also added cases at a higher rate per capita than all other area counties except Wadena County this month.

The Minnesota Department of Health reported no new deaths in any of the seven area counties since Feb. 7.

COVID-19 data as of Feb. 16

• Aitkin — 1,152, with 33 deaths; as of Sunday, Feb. 14, 3,078 residents have received at least one vaccine dose, representing 19.4% of the county’s population.

• Cass — 2,148, with 24 deaths; 4,195 residents with at least one dose, 14.3%.

• Crow Wing — 5,105, with 80 deaths; 9,092 residents with at least one dose, 14.2%.

• Mille Lacs — 2,228, with 46 deaths; 3,411 residents with at least one dose, 13.2%.

• Morrison — 3,188, with 46 deaths; 3,967 residents with at least one dose, 12.0%.

• Todd — 2,390, with 30 deaths; 2,977 residents with at least one dose, 12.2%.

• Wadena — 1,265, with 19 deaths; 1,943 residents with at least one dose, 14.2%.

NOTE: These numbers are cumulative since March 21, 2020, and many are out of isolation.

COVID-19: How many vaccines have central Minnesota counties administered? See the latest numbers