Officials Confirm First COVID-19 Outbreak In Carroll County Public Schools
WESTMINSTER, Md. (WJZ) -- The first official COVID-19 outbreak in Carroll County Public Schools has been confirmed, in a special education program at Robert Moton Elementary School in Westminster, officials said Friday.
The Maryland Department of Health defines an outbreak as two linked positive cases, meaning one person may have spread the virus to another person at the school.
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Currently, one case is a staff member and the other is a student; both are in the Learning for Independence (LFI) Special Education program.
Officials said the LIF program was closed October 26 after a staff member reported experiencing COVID-like symptoms over the weekend and multiple students and staff members were identified as close contacts.
The second individual tested positive November 5 and school and Health Department staff worked together to determine appropriate next steps.
All identified close contacts of the two cases are in quarantine and several have been tested. Because this outbreak is currently limited to the LFI program, the rest of the school can remain open.
"School administration and staff at Robert Moton have been extremely cooperative throughout this process," Ed Singer, Health Officer for Carroll County, said. "We expected to have some cases in the schools due to COVID-19 spread in the community. With all of the mitigation measures in place, we hope to limit the number of people impacted by spread within the schools. We will continue following these cases and others in the system to identify any linked cases and areas of concern."
Officials said the Health Department reviewed procedures at Robert Moton and determined that they were following COVID-19 guidance in the classroom as much as possible.
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.