Norwich — City public schools and Norwich Free Academy will return to the hybrid learning model starting Monday, although the city and several surrounding towns remain in the red zone for a high number of COVID-19 cases.

The Integrated Day Charter School, however, remains in fully remote learning next week, school officials told the city Friday morning.

Norwich is one of six municipalities in the 11-town Uncas Health District in the state’s COVID-19 red alert zone with cases at a rate of more than 15 per 100,000 in population. Griswold, Lisbon, Montville, Salem and Sprague also are in the red zone, according to the state’s COVID-19 data map posted Friday.

Norwich school Superintendent Kristen Stringfellow made the final decision to return to hybrid learning Monday after meetings Friday with the Uncas Health District and the state Department of Public Health to review the latest numbers. While Norwich COVID-19 positive case rate remains high, 40.7 per 100,000, the rate has declined from a high of about 50 per 100,000 in recent weeks.

“We are hopeful that our positivity rate data in the City may have peaked,” Stringfellow wrote in a memo to parents and staff Friday afternoon. “The community as a whole still has a number of positive cases, schools tend to be very well controlled environments where multiple mitigation strategies are intentionally managed (frequent hand washing, mask use, monitoring symptoms, monitoring close contacts, cohorting, distancing, maximizing outdoor time, cleaning and disinfecting, etc.). Everyone should remain vigilant in safety efforts to minimize risk outside of school.”

Norwich public schools and NFA shifted to fully remote learning Oct. 2, one day after the state declared a COVID-19 alert for Norwich. LEARN, the Regional Educational Service Center shifted its 122 Norwich students attending the Marine Science Magnet High School in Groton, Regional Multicultural Magnet School in New London, Three Rivers Middle College Magnet High School in Norwich and Friendship School in Waterford to remote learning the same day.

LEARN's Three Rivers Middle College, which shifted to all-remote learning Oct. 2, resumes the hybrid schedule on Monday, while Norwich students at the other LEARN schools resumed hybrid learning Oct. 19.

The shift to remote learning for Norwich schools and NFA was scheduled for two weeks but was extended through this week when COVID-19 cases remained high.

Norwich remains in the state Phase 3 reopening plan for businesses, but city offices remain closed to the public, except by appointment and city inspectors are doing remote video-based permit inspections or in-person inspections when no one is home.

Uncas Health District Director Patrick McCormack said because COVID-19 numbers have been rising throughout the region, eastern Connecticut health districts are working together closely to promote local testing sites and provide regional information on websites, including www.uncashd.org and Facebook pages.

“Initially, it was just the greater Norwich area having testing sites, but now that it has spread to the southern area of the county, it makes sense to have more of a regional approach,” McCormack said.

Free flu shot clinics now are being added to the mix of free COVID-19 testing clinics.

A free drive-thru flu shot clinic will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Norwich Regional Technical High School, 7 Mahan Drive, Norwich, with no appointment necessary.

The William W. Backus Hospital has a free drive-thru COVID-19 test site from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week at the Thomas J. Dodd Memorial Stadium. On Tuesday, a free walk-up COVID-19 test site run by Generations Health Center will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday at St. Vincent de Paul Place soup kitchen at 120 Cliff St., Norwich, no appointment necessary.

c.bessette@theday.com