BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Nearly 300 recent Bayside High School graduates and their guests have been advised to quarantine after health officials said an attendee at Saturday's commencement ceremony had COVID-19, a school district representative said.
Families were notified about the case Monday in a letter from the Florida Department of Health in Brevard County.
"Because your child was possibly exposed to someone at the school who had COVID-19, DOH-Brevard is notifying parents of exposed attendees that their child needs to quarantine at home for 14 days from their last day of attendance at the facility," the letter to parents said.
It was not immediately clear if the case was suspected or confirmed positive.
“I was just happy. I was so happy I got to actually graduate, and I know a lot of people did not get that chance,” said Jocelyn Puma, who graduated from Bayside on Saturday.
She told News 6 she brought her mother, grandmother and grandfather to the ceremony, and now all three of them are in quarantine.
“We are definitely quarantining for 14 days, maybe a little longer,” she said. “No symptoms as of right now, and I pray that it stays that way.”
An exact count of how many people have been impacted was not immediately available, Brevard Public Schools spokeswoman Nicki Hensley said.
Nearly 300 students and at least 30 staff members were at the ceremony, and each student was allowed to bring up to two guests, Hensley said.
She declined to give information about the person referenced in the Health Department letter, citing medical privacy laws.
“As with all school events, it is important our attendees follow the established health and safety protocols. Upon learning of this situation, BPS worked quickly with our local Department of Health partners to determine the best course of action and proceed with our notification process,” Hensley said in a texted statement.
Details on the cleaning process at the school would be forthcoming, she said.