Contingency plans in effect; 29 quarantined for McCook Public Schools

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

McCOOK, Neb. — One person has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus at the McCook Public School District.

Superintendent Grant Norgaard said Monday that procedures are in place, in cooperation with the Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department, for contact tracing and declined to specify if the individual was a student or staff member, citing privacy concerns.

The school district was notified of the positive case Friday afternoon and families who were directly affected were notified by phone about the possible contact. A letter was sent home to other parents as well, Norgaard said and those identified as being in direct contact with the individual are now in self-quarantine for 14 days. Others who were not in direct contact are being asked to self monitor for symptoms of the virus.

According to the school district’s COVID-19 tracker, on its website at www.mccookbison.org this morning, there are 29 persons currently in quarantine at the school district, with 21 at the high school, three at McCook Junior High, one at Central Elementary and four at McCook Elementary. An active confirmed case of the virus is identified at both McCook High School and McCook Elementary but there is only one confirmed case as it’s the same person, Norgaard said.

Being in quarantine is not a new thing at the school district, Norgaard added, because it’s been occurring since the school district first opened in August.

That’s because any staff member or student who was in direct contact with an infected person, showed symptoms of the virus or registered a fever were sent home to self monitor and if necessary, get tested for the virus, Norgaard said.

Students who had parents or siblings who were in contact with someone who tested positive also self-quarantined for 14 days, he said. Norgaard also recently self-quarantined and returned after testing negative for the virus.

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