DELMAR, Md.- Wicomico County Public Schools has notified the Wicomico County Health Department of three positive COVID-19 cases in the staff of Delmar Elementary School.
The school is immediately shifting to virtual learning for the next two weeks as a health and safety precaution.
School families and staff were informed of the change in instruction in a call from the school principal Sunday afternoon.
As soon as Wicomico Schools became aware of the positive cases, School Health Services followed established protocols and reported the cases to the Health Department, which monitors COVID-19 case numbers.
Contact tracing was immediately conducted.
Wicomico Public Schools says it has already:
- Begun informing known close contacts of the COVID-19 positive persons of their possible exposure during close contact (within 6 feet) for a total of 15 minutes or more within each 24-hour period, starting from two days before the infected person became symptomatic or had a positive COVID-19 test. Close contacts are being informed in a phone call from School Health Services staff, with a letter about specific health protocols to follow.
- Informed school families and staff associated with the school that due to the COVID-19 cases, instruction will be all virtual starting Monday, Nov. 16. In-person instruction is expected to resume on Monday, Nov. 30, for all grades served by the school.
Recommended health protocols are being followed for those testing positive or showing COVID-19-like symptoms, and for those who had close contact with either person.
Extensive cleaning and disinfecting are ongoing in the school building.
While the school building is closed, Delmar Elementary will not serve as a meal site, until further notices.
Meal bundles may be picked up at any Wicomico school on any school day. The closest school sites to Delmar Elementary are North Salisbury Elementary and Salisbury Middle.
School system staff and students take a prescreening health questionnaire each day before reporting to a school or worksite.
They are required to wear proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at all times while in a school or on a school bus, and must maintain physical distancing of 6 feet or more whenever possible.
While these measures are designed to minimize the spread of the virus, no method of prevention or protection is guaranteed to be 100% effective.
The Wicomico County Public School System is now providing weekly updates on the number of COVID-19 cases in schools, on the WCPS COVID-19 Dashboard: https://www.wcboe.org/domain/2645.