Newberry High tops charts with 16 COVID-19 cases, 140 quarantined; no shutdown recommended

The number of Alachua County Public Schools students and staff testing positive for COVID-19 or in quarantine changes daily according to ACPS Public Information Officer Jackie Johnson. 

 

As of Sept. 30th Johnson said the status at Alachua County high schools is as follows:

 

Buchholz High reports two students (brother and sister), and no staff actively quarantined at BHS.

 

There are 93 students and staff quarantined at Gainesville High including the football team which will be tested tomorrow (Oct. 1st) and if their tests are negative, they’ll be able to return, barring symptoms or significant contact with someone else.

 

There are currently 140 students and staff at Newberry High School in quarantine out of the 400 students attending the brick and mortar school.

 

According to Johnson, the superintendent and the district office is in communication multiple times a day with medical advisors including the Alachua County Health Department. 

 

“They track all our cases, and right now they do not suggest that we close down any school,” Johnson said. “The factors that would determine such a shutdown include not just the number of cases, but when they occurred, when the person was last on campus, did the spread occur in class, in an extracurricular setting, in a household setting (such as siblings who attend the same school) or somewhere else.”

 

As of Sept. 30th the ACPS COVID-19 dashboard reports 48 students and 26 staff have tested positive since 8/17. The number of people in self-isolation through Oct. 2nd is 161.

 

To check the status of any district school click here.

“Almost daily people are coming off the list and returning to school,” Johnson said about how the dashboard totals change. “Either because they’ve passed the required quarantine period or have received a negative test on Day 9 following their significant exposure with a positive case.”