A Fruitland Primary School staff member has tested positive for the Coronavirus, prompting an immediate return to virtual learning for the next two weeks, Wicomico schools officials announced Sunday night.

The county Health Department has been notified of the positive Covid-19 test. Meanwhile, a second Fruitland Primary staff member has Covid-19 symptoms, schools officials said.

School families and staff were informed by a call from the school Principal on Sunday evening. 

As soon as officials became aware of the positive case, School Health Services followed established protocols and reported both cases to the Health Department, which monitors Covid-19 case numbers.

Contact tracing was immediately conducted.

Despite staff members and students having followed Covid-19 health and safety guidelines, including wearing masks and maintaining physical distancing, there were a number of staff members and students who were in close contact late last week with one of the two people affected, officials said.

All of these close contacts must now begin a 14-day quarantine period.

Recommended health protocols are being followed for those testing positive or showing Covid-19 symptoms, and for those who had close contact with either person.

Fruitland Primary will undergo extensive cleaning and disinfecting. The building is expected to reopen for hybrid instruction on Monday, Nov. 9.

While the school building is closed, Fruitland Primary will not serve as a meal site. Meal bundles may be picked up at any Wicomico school, including nearby Fruitland Intermediate and Bennett Middle.

School system staff and students take a pre-screening health questionnaire each day before reporting to a school or worksite. They are required to wear proper Personal Protective Equipment at all times while in a school or on a school bus, and must maintain physical distancing of 6 feet or more whenever possible.

While these measures are designed to minimize the spread of the virus, no method of prevention or protection is guaranteed to be 100 percent effective.