Hempfield Area reports 11 covid-19 cases throughout school buildings

The majority of Hempfield Area School District buildings are reporting covid-19 cases as students attend their first full week of classes for the 2021-22 school year.

In all, there are 11 confirmed or probable cases among students in six school buildings, an online tracker updated Monday evening shows.

Included in those cases are four reported last week among students at West Hempfield and Maxwell elementary schools.

Following the update, new cases include three at the high school, two at Wendover Middle School and one each at Stanwood and West Point elementary schools.

There are no cases at Fort Allen Elementary School, Harrold or West Hempfield middle schools.

According to the tracker, all cases so far were reported last week. Of those, two were reported Wednesday, the day prior to the first day of school. By Thursday, an additional seven cases were reported. One case was also reported on both Friday and Saturday.

The tracker reports confirmed or probable cases among students and staff for the most recent rolling 14-day period.

Hempfield has begun the school year with a mask-optional policy for students in school buildings, although masks must be worn on school buses, according to a federal mandate.

According to district protocol, based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a student who tests positive for covid-19 is to remain in home isolation. They may return to school once 10 days have passed from the start of their symptoms, as long as their symptoms have improved and they are fever-free for 24 hours.

Students who were within 3 to 6 feet of an infected student in a classroom are not considered to have had close contact if both students correctly wore masks throughout the period of exposure. Members of the infected student’s household and staff are advised to quarantine based on local health department requirements.

CDC guidance provides that people who are fully vaccinated and do not have covid-19 symptoms need not quarantine, but they should get tested three to five days after an exposure. The CDC also recommends that following an exposure, vaccinated people wear a mask in public indoor settings for 14 days or until a negative test result is received.