More than 80 Putnam County students, staff quarantining due to COVID-19
PUTNAM COUNTY, Tenn. (WZTV) — Putnam County Schools has confirmed there are more than 80 students and staff currently in quarantine due to COVID-19 concerns.
The district said a Cookeville High School student who has been at school tested positive for COVID-19. Other students who were in close contact with the student have all been contacted and will quarantine for 14 days.
Putnam County Schools said 80 students are at home due to either having a positive test or being in close contact with someone with a confirmed positive test, including seven students who tested positive but have not been at school. Those students have not been in close contact with other students or staff.
Many of these contacts have occurred outside of the school setting, such as if a parent had tested positive, resulting in several students being in quarantine, which reflects all students currently in quarantine regardless of where the positive contact occurred.
Currently, there are seven teachers and staff at home due to either having a positive test or being in close contact with a confirmed positive test. These faculty members have not been in close contact with other students or staff.
Like students, this total reflects all faculty and staff currently in quarantine regardless of where the positive contact occurred.
The district also confirmed one bus driver is at home due to either having a positive test or being in close contact with someone with a confirmed positive test. The driver has not been in close contact with students or staff.
Putnam County Schools said it plans to develop new protocols to keep parents better informed of positive cases or close contact within the school system moving forward. Beginning next Monday, the district will allow parents to access a dashboard on its school system website, http://www.pcsstn.com, which will provide the following information updated daily:
- The number of students at a particular school who currently have a posiStive COVID test.
- The number of students at a particular school who are currently being quarantined due to being in close contact with positive cases.
- The number of faculty and staff in a particular school who are either positive or being quarantined due to positive contact.
Students who are exposed to someone with a positive COVID test will continue to be asked to quarantine for a period of 14 days.
