A Montgomery County elementary school teacher died from complications after she contracted COVID-19, according to her family.
Christie Litchfield, who works at Woodlawn Elementary School as a first-grade teacher, joined the growing list of Tennesseans who have fallen victim to the virus.
Across the state of Tennessee, positive coronavirus and hospitalizations cases continue to climb. During the week, the state has set multiple records for hospitalizations.
According to the Tennessee Department of Health, more than 32,000 school-age kids have tested positive for COVID-19 over the past 14 days.
On Wednesday, Sumner County Schools announced that they would join Marion County Schools and temporarily close their door to in-person learning, in an attempt to control the spread of COVID-19.
“We encourage everyone to practice safe, healthy measures during this break to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 within our community,” the district said in a statement.
Previously, Wilson County Schools closed for an entire week, due to a rise in positive coronavirus cases throughout the school district.
“While it’s not our desire to issue this closure, we do strongly feel that this closure is necessary based on our current attendance trends among students, teachers and staff. We sincerely ask that all our families, students, teachers and staff practice safe health methods during this time,” the district described at the time.
As cases rise, Governor Bill Lee has encouraged Tennesseans, who are eligible, to receive the coronavirus vaccine, noting its effectiveness and availability at no cost.
“The number one thing that we need to remember is that the greatest tool we have to fight COVID-19 is the vaccination,” Lee previously said at a news conference. “Vaccinations are free. They are available to every Tennesseans that qualifies for one.”
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Woodland Elementary School” by Woodland Elementary School.