Pierce, Charlton county students test positive for COVID-19 after first day back

PIERCE COUNTY, Ga. – A Pierce County High School student who was sent home sick on the first day of school Monday tested positive for COVID-19, district officials said. An elementary school student in Charlton County has also tested positive for COVID-19 following the first day of school, the school district informed parents Tuesday afternoon.

In a Facebook post, the Pierce County School District acknowledged the case of coronavirus, saying all parents of students who were in close contact with the sick teen had been notified.

They were told to follow the Georgia Department of Public Health’s quarantine guidelines and to monitor symptoms for 14 days.

“Your child’s safety is of utmost importance to us,” the district wrote. “Pierce County Schools will notify you in the event your child has been exposed to COVID-19 at school.”

The district said it is following DPH guidelines regarding who has been exposed and needs to be notified so they can quarantine.

“We ask for your help by monitoring your child’s symptoms each morning and keep them home if they are sick,” the district wrote.

The Pierce County School District, which has just 3,600 students in its system, returned to the classroom on Monday.

In nearby Charlton County, the school district said a student at Folkston Elementary School was exposed to the virus last week and was in attendance during the first day of school Monday.

“We have identified those students that were considered close contact and their parents have been notified of the requirement for these impacted students to be quarantined based on Georgia Department of Public Health guidelines,” the district said. “In addition, the other parents of students in the class will be notified.”

Charlton County Schools said it has no reason to believe any other students were affected.

“We remind parents to please evaluate your children on a daily basis before they enter school or a bus, and to not send children to school if there is a known exposure. Thank you for your help in keeping our schools open,” the district said in a note to parents.

According to the latest DPH data, Pierce County had 410 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Monday. Of those, 43 patients had been hospitalized and eight people have died. Statewide, Georgia had reported 219,025 coronavirus cases and 4,229 deaths as of Monday.

In Charlton County, there have been 437 reported cases, three deaths and 17 hospitalizations connected to the novel coronavirus.