LA GRANDE — The La Grande School District’s COVID-19 numbers continue to decline.

The school district’s latest weekly statistics show that 60 students and three staff members missed school during the week of Feb. 7-11 because of positive COVID-19 tests, COVID-19 symptoms or close contact with those who have COVID-19.

The new student figures are down from the week of Jan. 31-Feb. 4 when 71 students and three staff members were absent from school due to COVID-19. They are down even more significantly from the week of Jan. 18-21 when 153 students missed school due to COVID-19.

The school district’s Feb. 7-11 statistics indicate that two staff members — one each from Central and Island City elementary schools — were absent due to positive COVID-19 tests.

The same set of statistics indicate that 22 students missed school because of positive COVID-19 tests, a decline of eight from the previous week, with 12 from La Grande High School, five from Central, four from La Grande Middle School and one from Greenwood Elementary School.

A total of 40 students missed school Feb. 7-11 because of close contact with someone who was COVID-19 positive, with 11 from Greenwood, nine each from Central and Island City, eight from the high school and three from the middle school. One staff member, an individual who works at the high school, was out due to a close contact.

The La Grande School District’s statistics for Feb. 7-11 also indicated that three students had close contracts but were able to stay in school under the state’s test-to-stay program, because they tested negative for COVID-19 or because they were fully vaccinated. All three of the students were from Central. The total was down 17 from the week of Jan. 31-Feb. 4.