4 students, 1 employee catch COVID. These are the affected Manatee public school campuses

Four students and one employee at five different Manatee County public chools have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Manatee County School District reported Tuesday. As a result, at least 40 people were sent into quarantine because they were directly exposed to one of the infected people while at school.

The newest cases were reported at:

• Buffalo Creek Middle School, one positive student and 26 exposures.
• Harvey Elementary School, positive employee. The number of exposures was pending the completion of contact tracing.
• Lakewood Ranch High School, one positive student and five exposures.
• Palmetto High School, one positive student and four exposures.
• Southeast High School, one positive student and five exposures.

As of Tuesday, the highest number COVID-19 cases this semester — 19 — has been reported at Manatee High School, followed by 17 each at Parrish Community High School and at Southeast High School; and 16 at Buffalo Creek Middle School.

The district has reported a total of 306 coronavirus infections and at least 4,224 quarantines this semester, which started Jan. 4. To read the number of cases and exposures at each campus, go to the school district’s online dashboard at manateeschools.net.