MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A staff member at Miami Beach Senior High School will be self-imposing a quarantine after possibly being exposed to the coronavirus while on a trip to Denver.
Dr. Maria T. Rodriguez, the school’s principal, said in a message to parents on Monday that a staff member will stay home until the middle of the month out of an abundance of caution.
A staff member at Miami Beach Senior High School is quarantined at home after staying in a Denver hotel where a guest was confirmed to have coronavirus. Miami-Dade School District is asking the staff member to stay home until March 14th, the end of the incubation period.
— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) March 10, 2020
The principal said the staff member recently visited Denver and stayed at a hotel where another guest was diagnosed with COVID-19.
The district did not provide any additional information on what the employee does at the school.
One parent told 7News what she thought when she read the message.
“Panic. Started telling him, you know, we even thought, ‘Should we even come to school?'” said Joanne Cuevas. “They didn’t give us any details about who the teacher was, who the administrator was or that they had any contact with the kids. They didn’t tell us what they were doing to clean the school. They didn’t give us any of that information, so you know, it’s kind of like someone may have it or may not have it.”
Cuevas said she was frustrated parents did not receive more information on how the school will work to keep the campus clean going forward.
“This came like last night. Tell us that you sent a cleaning service in overnight, something you know?” said Cuevas.
“I’m just kind of worried, not too worried,” said sophomore Jacob Cuevas.
However, other parents said they are not worried about the staff member’s quarantine.
“I feel that if there was an issue, they would have notified us and let us know,” a parent said. “No, I’m not worried at all.”
Hours after parents were notified, Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said the school and the employee followed proper protocol and self-reported.
“There isn’t a single case — confirmed case — of COVID-19 impacting directly or indirectly employees or students in Miami-Dade County Public Schools,” Carvalho said.
The superintendent did not go into specifics about the employee but called the case a coincidence.
However, some students at Miami Beach Senior High School decided to stay home because of the virus concerns.
“My first period was empty, but throughout the day, the classes started to get more full,” sophomore Mauro Lagrasta said.
“I think they’ll be worried and like try to figure out who is not here today,” said freshman Jakiya Williams. “I’m going to wash my hands more often, bring water to school, hand sanitizer and just keep myself clean.”
Williams said she was surprised when she heard about the self-quarantine.
“She was like, ‘Oh. It was like shocking,’ so when she told me I was kind of shocked,” she said.
Some students have said they have seen big changes on the school’s campus, but they are not worried.
“They’re definitely taking a lot more precautions than they did before,” senior Lescina Jules said. “They’re putting a lot more soap in the bathrooms, having sanitizer more accessible to the kids, just being careful.”
School officials said they remain in contact with the Florida Department of Health regarding this possible exposure.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools has set up a hotline and a webpage for parents and students with questions surrounding COVID-19. For more information, call 305-995-3000 or visit covid19.dadeschools.net.
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