A Hilo charter school has confirmed eight COVID-19 cases involving school employees since Monday.
A spokesperson for Ka ‘Umeke Ka‘eo Public Charter School reported Friday that the school has been made aware of eight confirmed COVID-19 cases this week, with the first positive case reported on Monday.
According to the statement, the school called the Department of Health immediately upon discovery of the first case and shut down all three of the school’s campuses throughout Hilo.
A private company was brought in to clean and disinfect all three campuses on Monday and Tuesday.
Since Monday, the statement read, all employees have been working remotely, and all those who had been in contact with the first patient are undergoing quarantine.
It is not clear from the statement whether all eight cases involved school employees or others associated with the school.
“As a small tight-knit community, this experience has reminded us how important it is to follow social distancing guidelines and remain ever vigilant even with those we have identified as being part of our ‘ohana bubble,’” the statement concluded. “As an island community, we must take care of each other to ensure the health and safety of everyone.”
School representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.