Third Staffer At Loudoun School Tests Positive For Coronavirus

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — A third staff member at Waxpool Elementary School in Ashburn has tested positive for the new coronavirus, or COVID-19, according to Loudoun County Public Schools. The staff member is currently receiving medical care, the school system said Monday evening.

Five Loudoun County Public Schools staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus. According to the Virginia Department of Health, 15 people in Loudoun County have tested positive. Virginia health officials also confirmed Monday that 254 people have tested positive for the coronavirus across the state and six people have died.

Michael Pellegrino, the principal of Waxpool Elementary School in Ashburn, gave the school system permission to inform the county school community that he is one of the three positive cases. As of Saturday, Pellegrino was not experiencing symptoms and was self-quarantined at home. The third Waxpool Elementary School staffer who tested positive is recovering at home.

Several other members of the Waxpool Elementary School community "are symptomatic and have test results pending," Loudoun County Public Schools Superintendent Eric Williams said Saturday in a message to Loudoun schools staff, students and parents.

Earlier Monday, Loudoun County Public Schools announced that a staff member at Moorefield Station Elementary School in Ashburn tested positive for the coronavirus. The staff member is recovering at home. The Loudoun County Health Department is conducting a contact investigation and is in the process of calling each individual identified as having had close contact with the staff member.

On Monday, Williams ordered Moorefield Station Elementary School closed to all students, employees, contractors and the public. The school will be cleaned and disinfected and will remain closed until further notice.

The fifth Loudoun school system staffer who tested positive for the coronavirus is associated with both Liberty Elementary School and Pinebrook Elementary School, according to the school system.

People who have had close contact with someone known to have tested positive for coronavirus may take up to 14 days to become ill and will generally become symptomatic around six days after the contact, according to the Loudoun County Health Department.

"Recognizing that the [Loudoun County Health Department] presumes that community transmission of COVID-19 is occurring, community members may wish to stay home, even if they feel fine, except for essential trips," Williams said Monday. "Essential trips might include trips to doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, grocery stores, banks and gas stations."

The coronavirus causes flu-like symptoms in most people, who recover in a matter of weeks. But it is highly contagious and can cause severe illness or death in some, particularly the elderly and those with underlying health problems.

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