By MIKE McCOMBS
The Beaufort County School District sent an email and made robocalls to all parents of district students late Wednesday in response to an employee at Beaufort High School who is self-quarantined while awaiting results from a test for COVID-19, commonly known as the coronavirus.
The release does not specify if the employee is a faculty member or a staff member, but says he/she “had not traveled internationally or to any locations in the U.S. with confirmed COVID-19 cases” and is considered to be a low risk. The employee was tested out of caution.
There are still no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Beaufort County.
According to the release, the school district is taking extra precautions, but as of now, all schools are operating on normal schedules.
The following is the complete text of the message to parents:
Good evening, parents.
An employee at Beaufort High School is self-quarantined while awaiting results from a test for COVID-19. The employee is considered to be at low risk and had not traveled internationally or to any locations in the U.S. with confirmed COVID-19 cases. The employee was tested out of an abundance of caution, and there are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Beaufort County.
Classes at Beaufort High are operating on normal schedules, and custodians are continuing to treat all classrooms every day – not only at Beaufort High but at all district schools – with a hospital-grade disinfectant.
With all actions related to COVID-19, the school district is following recommendations from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and the South Carolina Department of Education. Neither DHEC nor SCDE has recommended any school closures at this point, and again, there are no confirmed cases in Beaufort County. If the situation changes and school closures are recommended, parents and students will be notified immediately.
Beaufort County families have understandable concerns about the growing numbers of COVID-19 cases across the nation. According to health experts, here’s what children and families can do to stay safe:
- Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- Avoid close contact with those who are sick.
- Use alcohol-based hand sanitizers (60 percent alcohol or above) when hand-washing is unavailable.
- Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, and cough into your elbow.
- Clean frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household detergent and water.
- If you feel sick, stay home unless you are seeking medical care. Keep children at home if they are sick.
- Get this year’s influenza vaccine if you have not already done so.
- Avoid large crowds.
For more information on COVID-19, visit these websites:
South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) – https://scdhec.gov/health/infectious-diseases/viruses/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) – https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
