COVID cases at East Manatee elementary send 38 others into quarantine, district says

Thirty-eight students and/or employees at Tara Elementary School have been sent home for quarantine after they were exposed to at at least one of two students who came down with COVID-19, according to the Manatee County School District.

The infected students were the fourth and fifth ones at Tara, 6950 Linger Lodge Road, to become ill since the start of school on Aug. 17.

When people are exposed to COVID-19, meaning they stayed within six feet of an infected person for more than 15 minutes, the exposed employees and students are forced to quarantine for 14 days.

In total, 53 people associated with Tara have had to quarantine since the start of the school year after they were exposed to at leastone of the infected students.

Districtwide, 76 students and employees have been infected with the novel coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 respiratory disease, since the start of the school year. A total of 973 people have had to quarantine after they were exposed to one of the infected people, according to the school district.

One of the new infections at Tara was reported Thursday and the other was reported Friday.

Here is the breakdown by school:

• Abel Elementary: 18 exposures and two positive employees between reports on Sep. 8 and Sep. 15.

• Ballard Elementary: 29 exposures, one positive student and one positive employee between reports on Aug. 18 and Aug. 31.

• Bashaw Elementary: 25 people quarantined after exposure to one student, Sep. 9.

• Bayshore Elementary: three people quarantined after exposure to one employee, Aug. 20.

• Bayshore High: one person quarantined after exposure to one student, Sep. 21.

• Blackburn Elementary: 12 people quarantined after exposure to two students, Aug. 24.

• Braden River High: 18 exposures and three positive students between reports on Sep. 4, Sep. 9 and Sep. 16.

• Braden River Middle: 17 exposures, one positive employee and three positive students between reports on Sep. 2, Sep. 8 and Sep. 10.

• Buffalo Creek Middle: two people quarantined after exposure to one student, Sep. 18.

• Daughtrey Elementary: no exposures to one positive employee, Sep. 22.

• Freedom Elementary: four people quarantined after exposures to one student, Sept. 23

• Gullett Elementary: 16 people quarantined after exposure to one student, Aug. 25.

• Harvey Elementary: 100 exposures, one positive employee and three positive students between reports on Sep. 2, Sep. 8 and Sep. 15.

• Johnson K-8: Ten people quarantined after exposure to one student, Sep. 11.

• Lakewood Ranch High: 32 people quarantined, two positive employees and one positive student between reports on Aug. 31 and Sep. 18.

• Lee Middle: two people quarantined after exposure to one employee, Sep. 4.

• Lincoln Memorial Academy: 27 people quarantined after exposure to one student, Aug. 21.

• Manatee High: 75 exposures, three positive students and two positive employees between reports on Aug. 21, Aug. 25, Sep. 2 and Sep. 15.

• Manatee Technical College, all campuses: nine people quarantined after exposure to five employees, Aug. 19.

• McNeal Elementary: no exposures to one positive employee and one positive student between reports on Sep. 18 and Sep. 21.

• Mills Elementary: 14 people quarantined after exposure to one student, Sep. 3.

• Moody Elementary: 32 people quarantined after exposure to one student, Aug. 21.

• Nolan Middle: 45 exposures, one positive student and one positive employee between reports on Aug. 31 and Sep. 1.

• Palm View K-8: no exposures to one positive employee, Sep. 18.

• Palma Sola Elementary: 38 exposures, one positive employee and two positive students between reports on Aug. 25, Aug. 26 and Sep. 17.

• Palmetto Elementary: 32 exposures, two positive students and one positive employee between reports on Aug. 25, Sep. 14 and Sep. 22.

• Palmetto High: 179 exposures and three positive employees between reports on Aug. 27, Aug. 31 and Sept. 23.

• Parrish Community High: 13 exposures and three positive students between reports on Aug. 18, Sep. 8 and Sep. 16.

• Prine Elementary: three people quarantined after exposure to one student, Sep. 8.

• Samoset Elementary: 38 people quarantined after exposure to two students, Aug. 26.

• Southeast High: 31 exposures, one positive student and two positive employees between reports on Sep. 4, Sep. 8 and Sep. 15.

• Sugg Middle: no exposures to one positive student, Aug. 20.

• Tara Elementary: 53 exposures and five positive students between reports on Aug. 19, Sep. 11, Sept. 24 and Sept. 25.

• Williams Elementary: 73 exposures, two positive employees and one positive student between reports on Aug. 18, Aug. 31 and Sep. 4.

• Willis Elementary: eight people quarantined after exposure to one student, Aug. 21.

• Witt Elementary: 18 people quarantined after exposure to one student, Sep. 16.

This story was originally published September 25, 2020 at 8:14 AM.