Parents Sent Teen to School Knowing He Had COVID

High school students in Attleboro, Mass., returned to school this week with the usual precautions in place for the pandemic. But already, about 30 students have been forced to quarantine for two weeks, though it's not because of a lapse in school protocol. Instead, it's because of what the mayor calls "egregious" judgment on the part of one teen's parents, reports WHDH. They sent their son to school on Monday knowing he had just tested positive for COVID-19. Details on that, and more on the coronavirus:

• Tough words: The student tested positive on Sept. 11, then showed up at school on Sept. 14. Word began to spread of his diagnosis, and the school confirmed the rumors the following day, reports NBC News. "Egregious," says Mayor Paul Heroux, per WHDH. "It was a reckless action to send a child, a teenager to school who is COVID-positive. It was really poor judgment."

• Other schools: Something similar happened in Oklahoma City, reports the Washington Post. Parents sent their child to school despite a positive diagnosis because they mistakenly thought the quarantine period was just five days. And in Greenfield, Ind., a student tested positive on the first day of school, even though the student's parents were still awaiting results from a previous test.
• Another world leader: Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei has tested positive, reports the AP. The 64-year-old, who has multiple sclerosis, says he feels fine. The development comes as his nation reopens its borders and international fights after six months.
• Abroad: The rate at which cases are spreading in India means that nation is on track to surpass the US total in the coming weeks. India now has more than 5 million cases, behind America's 6.6 million, notes NPR. Cases also are rising again in several European nations, prompting the WHO to warn of a "very serious situation," per Newsweek. Spain, France, and the Netherlands were among the nations rolling out new restrictions.
• Better news: If a large second wave of cases emerges as feared this fall in the US, the Wall Street Journal reports that hospitals and doctors expect to be better able to cope. Much has been learned in the spring's "baptism by fire," and now medical experts have a better handle on matters such as which patients need ventilators and which drugs to use. Hospitals also have been stockpiling masks and other protective equipment.

(More coronavirus stories.)