Twenty-one students at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School tested positive for the coronavirus as of Tuesday afternoon, causing the Maryland private school to cancel 2021’s two remaining in-person instruction days.

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       The Catholic high school, located in Olney, has seen an increase in covid-19 cases among its student body, said Cheryl Plainte, a Good Counsel spokeswoman.

       Wednesday and Thursday were scheduled to be midterm exam days before students were released for the winter holiday break. But given the surge in cases on campus, administrators decided to make Tuesday the last day before the calendar year ends.

       The school’s roughly 1,200 students won’t be back on campus until Jan. 3, according to its academic year calendar. Midterm exams will now take place after students return, Plainte said.

       Georgetown Prep, elite private school, returns entirely to virtual teaching amid coronavirus outbreak

       Good Counsel’s covid cases follow a similar outbreak at neighboring Georgetown Preparatory School, which reported 30 student cases last week that it attributed to a post-Thanksgiving surge and off-campus social events.

       Georgetown Prep, a fellow Catholic high school located in North Bethesda, announced it would return to virtual learning.