Health & Fitness
2 MCPS Employees Test Positive For Coronavirus
The two Montgomery County Public Schools employees were working at the Glen Haven Elementary School meal distribution site, officials said.
SILVER SPRING, MD — Two Montgomery County Public Schools employees have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, according to officials.
The individuals — both food and nutrition staff members — last worked at the Glen Haven Elementary School meal distribution site in Silver Spring on Thursday, March 26. County officials said they weren't showing symptoms at the time.
Officials say the risk to the community is low, but ask that residents who visited Glen Haven prior to March 26 to self-monitor for symptoms.
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Employees who worked in close contact with their infected colleagues have also been asked to self-quarantine for 14 days.
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"Consistent with CDC guidance, the employees used masks and gloves while working and handled prepackaged food in the school kitchen, which was placed on tables and in trunks of cars for students and parents," officials said in a statement.
The school district has temporarily closed the kitchen at Glen Haven and is now distributing meals from a food truck.
Maryland reported its first coronavirus case on March 5. To date, there are 4,045 people who have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Maryland Health Department. Montgomery County, the state's most populous jurisdiction, has a total of 793 confirmed cases of the coronavirus.
Health officials say the numbers will rise as more people get tested.
"Even in this unprecedented time of uncertainty, I do not want our residents to lose hope for our future," Montgomery County Council President Sidney Katz said. "Your county and state leaders, medical experts, community partners and residents are working together each and every day to do all that we can to help stop the spread of this deadly virus. We are in this fight together, and our unified effort is what will enable our county to emerge from this crisis with an even stronger sense of community."
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