A second Vero Beach High School student tested positive for COVID-19, prompting school officials to place 14 other pupils on a two-week quarantine, authorities said.
This is the fifth incident at Indian River County schools where youth were instructed to self-quarantine after students tested positive for COVID-19. It also is the second incident involving a student to occur at Vero Beach High School.
In the latest case, Florida Department of Health in Indian River County conducted contact tracing and identified 14 students who came in close contact with the pupil who tested positive, the School District of Indian River County said in a statement. The 14 students, along with the student with the positive result, were instructed to self-quarantine and monitor their symptoms.
School officials called families of the students, notifying them that the children should stay at home, officials said. All Vero Beach High School families and staff members were notified of the incident.
The students ordered to stay home will continue their education through virtual learning, school officials said. Custodial services continue to disinfect and sanitize all areas of the campus.
The first incident at Vero Beach High School occurred Aug. 28, when officials placed 46 students on a two-week quarantine after finding out a student tested positive for COVID-19. That number included a significant amount of players on the high school’s Fighting Indians’ Football Team, school officials said.
This led Vero Beach High School to cancel its season-opening game at Venice High School, originally set for this upcoming Friday. It was unclear if the season opener would be rescheduled for a later date.
Three other schools that placed students on quarantine after reporting positive virus cases were Osceola Magnet School, Fellsmere Elementary and Sebastian River High School.
Indian River County had a cumulative amount of 2,911 COVID-19 cases as of Monday, according to the Florida Department of Health. The county has 104 COVID-19 related deaths so far.