‘ELE‘ELE — Allison Carveiro, principal of ‘Ele‘ele School, wrote a letter that was distributed on Sunday, Oct. 25, addressing the school employee who tested positive for COVID-19 that was announced on Monday by the state Department of Health.
It was reported the employee had some contact with staff and students, but it was later determined by the DOH that they were not close contacts.
The employee was on campus from Monday, Oct. 19 to Friday, Oct. 23, before testing positive.
“We are in contact with the employee, who is doing fine, and I have sent our aloha,” Carveiro said in a letter to parents and staff.
“Out of respect for this individual’s privacy, I will not be sharing additional information. Our COVID Response Team responded immediately, and the area has been cleaned and sanitized. We have been cleared to open school on Monday.”
Carveiro said her school is taking the necessary precautions, including notifying potential, close contacts and coordinating the next steps with the state Department of Education’s COVID-19 Core Response Team.
“As a reminder, (DOH) is the lead agency when it comes to contact tracing and officially notifying individuals who may have been exposed,” Carveiro said.
Carveiro encouraged all parents and staff to speak to their health-care providers or DOH should they have any concerns, and reminded parents to do a wellness check before coming onto ‘Ele‘ele School’s campus.
“Individuals who are exhibiting any symptoms, or who have been directed to quarantine by DOH, should not come to campus,” said Carveiro.
“If someone in your household has been tested for COVID-19 or they are exhibiting symptoms, please call before coming to campus so we can assess the situation and determine if a visit is necessary and/or appropriate.
“Please stay safe, and know we are taking all precautions to ensure our campus is safe,” said Carveiro.
According to the DOH, close contact is defined as being within 6 feet of the person for 15 minutes or logging or having direct contact with the infected person’s secretions, like being coughed on.
Dr. Janet Berreman of the DOH in Kaua‘i District Health Office said she is relieved by the DOE’s quick actions.
“We are fortunate that this case did not have large numbers of close contacts in the DOE setting,” Berreman said.
“This is a tribute to the precautions that DOE has in place and good compliance with those precautions. I am pleased that the work with DOE and DOH has gone smoothly, with excellent communication and coordination.
“I would especially like to express appreciation for Complex Area Superintendent Paul Zina and his staff. He has clearly planned well for the possibility of a COVID case in DOE. He and his staff handled the situation calmly and competently,” said Berreman.
Berreman said there is no indication that this case is travel-related, so DOH considers the source to be community transmission.
