PITTSBURGH -- A North Hills Middle School teacher has tested positive for COVID-19. The teacher was last in the building on Tuesday, Oct. 20.
As with all positive COVID-19 cases, contact tracing will be handled by the Allegheny County Health Department and the department will issue notices to those who need to quarantine.
However, based on the district's conversation with the health department earlier today, Friday, Oct. 23, and current guidance on when quarantine is required, no students or additional staff members will be required to quarantine at this time.
Per CDC guidance, quarantine is required when there is "close contact" with someone who has COVID-19. The CDC defines "close contact" as being within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more.
Students were in the classroom with this teacher but social distancing guidelines were followed and everyone was wearing a mask at all times. This teacher was not within six feet of anyone for more than 15 minutes thus no one is required to quarantine as a result of this case, according to county health officials.
Please refer to our COVID-19 tracker to view all NHSD coronavirus cases to date since the start of the 2020-21 school year. Positive cases are no longer active after a 10-day isolation period per guidance from the Center for Disease Control.
Including today’s case, the district has had eight COVID-19 cases. Three remain active.
The health and safety of our students and staff is paramount. Anyone who experiences any of the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 is urged to contact their primary care physician immediately.
We will continue to be transparent like we have throughout this pandemic and as always, we thank you for your continued support.