Three Manatee County elementary schools report first COVID-19 cases of the semester

Three Manatee County public elementary schools each have reported their first COVID-19 cases of the second semester of the 2020-21 school year, the school district said Friday.

The three schools were Kinnan Elementary, where one student tested positive; Moody Elementary, with one positive student; and Samoset Elementary, where an employee tested positive, according to the district’s online dashboard. A total of 53 people among the three campuses had close contact with the infected persons, so they had to go into isolation.

Since Monday, when teachers returned to work for the second semester of the 2020-21 school year, the school district has reported a total of nine new coronavirus infections and at least 135 exposures.

Those cases have been at:

• Braden River High School: One positive student and 15 exposures, in a report on Jan. 7.
• Kinnan Elementary School: One positive student and 29 exposures, in a report on Jan. 8.
• Lakewood Ranch High School: One positive student and 14 exposures, in a report on Jan. 6.
• Manatee High School: One positive student, one positive employee and 41 exposures, between reports on Jan. 4 and Jan. 5.
• Matzke Support Center: One positive employee and one exposure, in a report on Jan. 5.
• Moody Elementary School: One positive student and 18 exposures, in a report on Jan. 8
• Palmetto High School: One positive student and 11 exposures, in a report on Jan. 7.
• Samoset Elementary School: One positive employee and six exposures, in a report on Jan. 8.