CHARLOTTESVILLE — Eastern Hancock has seen its first positive cases of COVID-19, with the district being notified last weekend that two students had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Superintendent David Pfaff said the corporation learned of one case on Saturday, Aug. 8, and one on Sunday, Aug. 9. Both were students. The corporation had resumed in-person school on Aug. 3.
Pfaff said contact tracing was conducted in partnership with the Hancock County Health Department, and families of possibly affected students were immediately informed. Contact tracing is done by following an infected person’s “close contacts,” meaning anyone who was within 6 feet of the person for 15 minutes or more.
At EH, 18 close contacts were identified for one student and 10 for the other. Three overlapped, meaning a total of 25 students are staying home from school to quarantine for two weeks. No teachers were identified as close contacts.
Pfaff said the corporation’s plan for positive cases was followed efficiently and officials remain confident in continuing full-time in-person schooling. The district also has a remote-learning program in place, but a small percentage of families opted for that.
Pfaff declined to provide the grade level of the two students.
At its first meeting since the school year began, on Monday, Aug. 10, the EH school board approved a policy authorizing additional sick pay for teachers who may have to quarantine multiple times if they are repeatedly exposed to COVID-19.