Beaufort High employee who self-quarantined tested negative for coronavirus

A Beaufort High School employee who self-quarantined while awaiting COVID-19 results tested negative for the disease, district spokesman Jim Foster said Thursday.

The employee was tested Tuesday, and was not in school Tuesday or Wednesday, when parents were notified via email and phone of the employee’s self-quarantine.

They had not traveled to any international or U.S. locations where the virus has been confirmed.

“The employee was tested out of an abundance of caution,” the email to parents said.

Classes at Beaufort High have operated on a normal schedule all week.

District officials are following recommendations from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control and the S.C. Department of Education, neither of which have recommended closing schools.

Beaufort County School District also announced Thursday that they would postpone non-essential student trips outside the district for at least 30 days and temporarily suspend students’ health occupation internships. Approximately 40 to 50 students participated in those internships, Foster said.

The school district is awaiting guidance from the South Carolina High School League to make decisions on athletic events, Foster said.

Custodians are continuing to treat all classrooms every day — not only at Beaufort High but at all district schools — with a hospital-grade disinfectant.

The number of coronavirus cases in the state rose to 12 Thursday afternoon.

Eight cases are in Kershaw County; two are in Lancaster County. Charleston and Spartanburg counties have one each.

DHEC has tested 51 individuals for COVID-19, which includes the eight presumptive positive cases and two confirmed cases.

This story was originally published March 11, 2020 at 5:57 PM.