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Only 59 Students In Escambia Are Isolated Due To COVID-19. That’s Out Of Over 39,000 Students.
October 1, 2020
There are over 39,000 students in the Escambia County School District, and only 59 were isolated due to COVID-19 as of Wednesday.
“For the most part, those 59 aren’t positive; they were identified by contact tracing,” said Superintendent Malcolm Thomas. That means the students were identified by the Florida Department of Health as having close contact with a known positive case.
“It’s you got contract traced; you’ve got to sit out,” said Thomas.
Of the 59 students isolated — not allowed to attend a brick and mortar school until a quarantine period passes, 16 were students at Bellview Middle School, 13 were from Molino Park Elementary and 12 were students at Northview High School, the superintendent said. The 18 others were scattered at schools across the county.
Many times, the isolated students came in contact with a family member, friend or someone else outside a school setting. While they are out of school, the students are often still involved in virtual learning.
“We’ve learned how to separate the kids, so if we have a situation we can minimize the numbers that have to sit out,” he said. “We were prepared.”
Thomas said he is not at all alarmed by the current number of students that were quarantined due to either being exposed to or diagnosed with COVID-19.
“If we were tracking and contact tracing the flu, strep or colds, there would be more,” he said.
Monday will mark six weeks since the first day of school in Escambia County.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Comments
15 Responses to “Only 59 Students In Escambia Are Isolated Due To COVID-19. That’s Out Of Over 39,000 Students.”
Jane Doe. Obituaries in this county rarely discuss what the person died of. It is not the custom here. The attitude in this county that“ I don’t know anybody. With Covid 19 so it’s not happening and people are taking my rights away blah blah “ is arrogant and frustrating to families like mine who’ve had family VERY sick with Covid 19.
Rasheed, are you insane ?
SHEEP NO MORE !!!!
I am told you know someone that has died or has had the virus by now. I don’t know anyone who has died or has even had it. Maybe I just don’t know that many people. There have been times, due to many deaths, I went to PNJ and looked up the obituaries, nothing to match. I am just one of those people who question everything, look for answers. Not many people out there screaming about all the people dying. I am not a doctor, I don’t know what to think, really. I am retired and do wear a mask when I go out. But, I wonder when a friend tells me he got drunk and was kissing a girl that called him a few days later and told him she had it. I didn’t know the girl, if you wonder. He never got the virus and never tested positive after a few tests. Just makes you wonder. Anyone going around without a mask for a while and no problem? I wonder.
Just listen to the scientist. They said it couldn’t spread person to person but now we know it can. Then Fauci said don’t wear a mask, then he said wear a mask then he goes to a ball game and doesn’t wear a mask. the POTUS calls for travel bans while the democrats called him xenophobic and called for street parties in San Francisco and NYC. Now the dems say we need to listen to the scientist and stay at home.
This is a terrible virus that we have been plagued with, I will not deny that. If you feel unsafe outside your home by all means stay at home. If you feel you need a mask in public then by all means wear a mask stay 6 feet away and protect your self. If you want to live your life then go out and do so, just be considerate of others when doing so. But please for the good of us all lets not become so divided over this. I do not care for masks but I work with a person who is diabetic and has a heart condition. When we have to work in close proximity of each other I wear a mask. I will not live in fear but will be cautious. just like driving when I get in my truck I buckle up, I use turn signals, look before changing lanes and drive in the right lane. All of these things to protect me and others on the road. The same applies to this pandemic.
@ProudArmyParent
No one is asking you to live your life scared. That doesn’t mean you should bury your head in the sand and pretend that nothing is wrong.
Nearly 250 Escambia County residents have been killed by Covid-19. We need to work together to make sure that number doesn’t get higher. Socially distance as much as you can. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. If you do display flu-like symptoms, be responsible and quarantine yourself for 14 days.
So take the masks away, quit quarantining, make ALL kids go back to school, and do away with testing?
Some of you are horribly misinformed. You should be upset you cant go back to normal and BE SAFE. Not that kids are having to quarantine, wear masks, and social distance 7 MONTHS later. Maybe ask yourself why we are still here…
Molino Park Parent, your very wrong. I, myself am immunity suppressant drugs and my husband is a diabetic with heart issues. In fact at this moment he is having to instruct and supervise an Escambia County School District Quarantined student because our grandson happened to sit within 2 desks of a student that tested positive. So don’t tell me I know nothing, I just can’t and won’t live my life scared!
@ ProudArmyParent
You obviously don’t have anyone in your family that has medical conditions which could cause their death if exposed. It’s the people who the children can bring it home to that are of the greatest concern because children are not very likely to have severe complications from the virus unless they are compromised medically. I have a daughter that has been made to stay home and she continued on with her work like she was there. She was still able to interact with her friends through her chrome book while she was taking class. It sucks but it’s far from punishment. If you like to live on the edge, then by all means do so. Just know that you may inadvertently harm someone close to you by doing so.
You can all say the rules are great, and I’m so proud of the district. Well there is another side to the story. There is the child that is being “punished” (yes. I said PUNISHED) just because a child happens to sit next to a child who tests positive he or she gets 14 days at the house. That is garbage! What good are the masks, the social distancing, the one way halls? This can happen over and over again, not a good situation at all. What are you telling these children your mental, physical and social growth means nothing to us? STOP living scared!
To the person asking about why they don’t test the kids instead of isolate them, it’s because an exposed and infected person won’t test positive right away.. Say you contract the virus on a Monday, you may test negative for many days later before the virus takes enough hold of your body to be detected by a test on maybe Friday, or even the following Monday. By that time, the person will already be infecting others if they are not isolated.
This is just one of the many basic public health strategies that are used during a pandemic that our government has done a HORRIBLE job educating the public on. I have heard many people say that they just came in contact with someone that is positive, and so they run out an get a test right away. That isn’t how it works folks. If you’ve been in contact with a person that is positive, or MIGHT be positive, then you have to isolate for 14 days. That is how we beat virus spread. Unfortunately, it’s just not happening here in the US.
In regard to the “Caring Parent”. Masks are recommended, not required by the school district. That is a student/parent choice. Staff members forcing students to “mask up” would be a totally different reason for your outrage, I’m sure. I’m curious how you saw all these kids at Bratt, since I was told I’m not allowed past the lobby because of Corona safety precautions? I think all the schools and administration are doing a great job navigating the ever changing rules of trying to educate during a pandemic. Also, the flu cases rise every year and this will be the first flu season where most of the kids do wear masks. So it may not be as bad. I’m praying for a safe remainder of the school year for our district!
Same people here who can’t stand good news. Always complaining. See a cigarette and yell fire.
Its great that our numbers are so low. However, I don’t understand why the “exposed” kids can’t be tested and if they are negative, let them go back to school. I think our school district has done a great job with the exception of that rule.
That’s 59 too many!
It’s just by the Grace of God that we don’t have plenty of cases considering what I witnessed at Bratt Elementary, the number of students without face mask on were shocking. I would not be surprised to see a rise in cases along with the flu in the near future.