Bayside High grad Florida
Gillian Callison from Pixabay

Around 300 Bayside High School graduates and their guests have been asked to quarantine after state health officials said one attendee at Saturday's ceremony was positive of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The Florida Department of Health in Brevard County on Monday notified the families that attended the ceremony through a letter.

The department's assistant county health director, Anita Stremmel, said the person tested positive right after attending the ceremony.

"The Florida Department of Health was notified about the positive case by Brevard Public Schools and we confirmed the positive result in our lab reporting system," Stremmel was quoted in a report.

In the letter, it said families should isolate students, who attended the graduation rites. However, Stremmel clarified that this should be applied to everyone, who was present at the event. The ceremony took place outdoors on Bayside High's football field.

She said they are advising everyone, who attended the event, to observe themselves for any symptoms for 14 days.

The Florida school district earlier released safety measures for all high school graduation to decrease the risk of spreading the virus. These measures include mandatory masks, spaced meating, and social distancing.

Physical contact between students and staffs, and all indoor activities are not allowed, according to a report.

Brevard Public Schools spokeswoman Nicki Hensley said around 300 students and 30 staffs attended the ceremony. Graduating students were also allowed to bring up to two guests. However, the exact number of people that may have been infected is still unavailable.

Hensley also refused to comment on the person indicated by the state's health department, mentioning medical privacy laws.

"As with all school events, it is important our attendees follow the established health and safety protocols. Upon learning of this situation, BPS worked quickly with our local Department of Health partners to determine the best course of action and proceed with our notification process," Hensley was quoted in a Florida Today report. Hensley added that the school district staffs complied with the post-event cleanup protocols.

Positive cases are followed by a thorough epidemiological investigation to know individuals, who may have had close contact with the virus, Stremmel said.

Stremmel advised those individuals to notify their health department and health care provider if they developed any symptoms.

Florida COVID-19

State officials reported the most number of deaths in a single day from the coronavirus on Tuesday.

The Florida Department of Health had 186 deaths in the state since Monday. This makes the statewide toll to 6,117. The previous single day high was 173 reported less than a week ago.

The state's health agency also reported 441,977 positive cases of the coronavirus. This is an increase of 9,230 since Monday. Despite these numbers, the state is insisting to reopen its schools.

However, the state's health agency is seeing a rise in cases of coronavirus in children. The most recent data showed that around 8,000 more children have been infected with the virus since the week prior, which is a 34 percent increase.

Children ages 17 and under have more than 31,000 positive cases. In a span of eight days, hospitalization rose by 23 percent, with a total number of children hospitalized to 303.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is still pushing for schools to do a face-to-face class.

"If a parent believes distance learning is more appropriate now, perhaps their child has a health condition or perhaps they're just not comfortable, they have a right to opt for that," he was quoted in a report.

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