ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – After officials with the Florida Department of Health traced several coronavirus cases to a birthday party attended by Olympia High School students, the decision was made to close the campus for two weeks to prevent the spread of the virus.
The district closed the campus for two weeks beginning Monday after six individuals tested positive, though one additional case is still pending. All students have now shifted to virtual learning.
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As a result, 136 students and 19 teachers were also asked to quarantine due to possible exposure.
Dr. Raul Pino, the health officer with the Florida Department of Health-Orange County, said the decision to close the campus came after contact tracers learned at least 13 students had attended a birthday party off campus on Aug. 29.
Pino said it’s possible more students attended the party but it has proved difficult to determine the exact number.
“We are dealing with the students in the sense that, of course, they are afraid of the consequences. So talking to them becomes a challenge in the sense that, out of fear, they probably will be hiding some information from us,” Pino said.
The health officer could not provide an exact number of cases tied directly to the party but said it will likely grow.
Pino implored parents and adults to be an example for their children to wear masks and keep their distance because the actions of a few can impact a whole community when it comes to the highly contagious virus.
“The (school) board had to move an entire school into quarantine and distance learning because of a birthday party,” Pino said. “Those are things that we should keep in mind and educate our children also that individual actions sometimes have community consequences.”
Although the school is closed for learning, the campus is hosting coronavirus testing for students and staff.
Orange County health officials are closely monitoring the slight increase in COVID-19 cases in K-12 age groups as well as college students.
At least three sorority houses at the University of Central Florida are in quarantine and that may grow to five, according to Pino.
“It’s not a significant increase, our total number of cases have decreased, but as we watch for age, and social activity that has increased that means, colleges, universities and schools we’re also monitoring that age group closely,” Pino said.
As of Tuesday, the average age of a COVID-19 positive case in Orange County is 35. Since March, 37,247 people in the county have tested positive for the virus, including 387 who have died as a result. The county has reported less than 100 new cases for the past two days and the rate of infection for new cases has stayed below 6% for two weeks.