Slightly fewer new Covid cases were reported among students and school staff in the past week, but more persons had to sit out quarantines after exposures, the Fayette County School System said Feb. 6.

The number of positive cases plus quarantined students and staff members totaled 557 as of Friday afternoon, Feb. 5, the system report showed, an increase of 78 persons over the previous week.

There were 17 new Covid cases among staff members and 34 students newly infected during the past week, for a total of 51, according to the report. That compares with 18 students and 36 staffers for a total of 54 positives the previous week.

Quarantines increased to 70 staffers and 436 students during the past week for a total of 506 sidelined, compared to 59 staffers and 366 students, for a total of 425 quarantined the previous week.

Add in the week’s new cases and you get the grand total of 567 either quarantined for exposure or isolated because of active infections this past week, compared to 479 in that category two weeks ago.

There were 8 schools with clean Covid slates last week — no new cases among either staff or students. They were Sandy Creek High School, Rising Star Middle School and elementary schools Peeples, North Fayette, Kedron, Inman, Fayetteville and Burch.