Cape Cod Times
Sunday
Mar 15, 2020 at 10:46 PM
Mar 15, 2020 at 10:46 PM
Staff member is wife of Sandwich man who was the first confirmed case on Cape.
HYANNIS — A staff member at Barnstable Community Innovation School has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a statement issued Sunday night by Barnstable schools Superintendent Meg Mayo-Brown.
The staff member is the wife of the Sandwich man who was confirmed Saturday to be the Cape’s first case of the disease, which is caused by the new coronavirus.
The staff member has not been at work since March 6, according to a statement Mayo-Brown issued Saturday.
Mayo-Brown declined to say why the woman had been absent for the past week, citing privacy and confidentiality issues. She said in her Saturday statement that the staff member had shown symptoms and was being tested for the disease.
Based on the formal diagnosis, she said Sunday, medical experts recommend staff and students at the innovation school, and others who might be affected, quarantine themselves until Friday.
Any staff member or student experiencing symptoms such as fever, cough or shortness of breath is advised to contact their primary care physician, the statement says.
Cape Cod Healthcare issued a statement Saturday saying the state Department of Public Health had confirmed the first positive case in Barnstable County of the disease. A statement later issued by Sandwich Assistant Town Manager Heather Harper said the patient was a man in his 60s from that town.
– CANCELLATIONS related to COVID-19 on Cape Cod and Islands
The patient was admitted to a hospital and, once stable, will return home for the rest of the 14-day quarantine period recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the statement from Cape Cod Healthcare said.
Joanne Geake, the Sandwich public health nurse, contacted everyone the man said he had come into contact with in the two weeks before testing positive, according to Sandwich Town Manager George “Bud” Dunham. All the necessary calls were made by 5 p.m. Saturday, but Dunham did not say how many people were called.
Mayo-Brown said she has been in regular communication with the Department of Public Health, Barnstable Public Health Director Thomas McKean, school physician Dr. Katie Rudman and the town’s public health department about how best to proceed.
– Read more on the response on Cape Cod to the coronavirus
Geake, Barnstable Public Health Nurse Kate Stanton and Barnstable school nurse Pam Ciborowski have been sharing information with each other and the state epidemiologist, McKean said.
Mayo-Brown said it was important for school staff, students and families to avoid group settings or socializing, including outings with friends or group child care.
She said the district would maintain the confidentiality of all involved.
