HARVEY COUNTY —The Harvey County Health Department, in conjunction with Newton Public Schools, has confirmed a cluster of COVID-19 cases at Newton High School.
The cluster includes five positive active COVID-19 cases and they are students, according to a media release.
The Health Department is investigating if there is any known connected source of exposure.
The individuals that are positive for COVID-19 are in home isolation. Those that are close contacts of the individuals have been notified and are in quarantine.
“We take this very seriously,” said USD 373 Superintendent Fred Van Ranken. “We work with the Health Department to conduct contact tracing, and will continue to implement plans to keep our students and staff safe.”
Newton High School has been and is currently in its hybrid learning model through Nov. 13.
USD 373 has taken several safety precautions in its buildings to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including a face mask requirement, additional and routine cleaning of high-touch areas, temperature checks, social distancing when possible and hybrid and remote learning.
“We have worked closely with the Newton High School leadership to quickly identify the close contacts of the positive cases to have those individuals quarantine,” said Harvey County Health Department Director Lynnette Redington. “The school district has been and continues to be in consistent communication with the Health Department as the district implements comprehensive strategies to promote safe learning environments for students and staff.”
The cluster will be considered active until there are 28 consecutive days – two incubation periods – without positive cases.