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High school football conditioning continues despite 4 COVID-19 cases in Gwinnett County

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Updated  June 26, 2020 12:29am EDT
Gwinnett County Public Schools
FOX 5 Atlanta

Four Gwinnett County students and staff contract COVID-19 in June

The recent cases of coronavirus come after two weeks of high school football summer conditioning.

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - The Gwinnett County School District confirms four individuals have tested positive for COVID-19 since football conditioning began on June 8.

For privacy reasons, the district will not identify who contracted the virus, but district spokesman Bernard Watson told FOX 5’s Portia Bruner those infected include students and staff at Discovery High School in Lawrenceville, North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Mill Creek High School in Hoschton, as well as Parkview High School in Lilburn.

Watson said the school district's process for responding to a report of a positive test result follows strict guidelines set by the Georgia Department of Public Health.

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In a statement to FOX 5, Watson wrote, "These guidelines call for only those who had direct contact with the infected person to be notified through the Department of Public Health’s contact tracing process. Those individuals were sent home to self-isolate per DPH guidelines and to seek medical attention, if appropriate. Based on those guidelines, staff members and students who tested positive--as well as those who were in direct contact with those infected with COVID-19 -- will not participate in activities on campus again until they have medical clearance from a physician.”

Conditioning will continue as scheduled through the summer unless infection rates, as outlined by the Georga Department of Public Health, dictate a change in the rules outlined by the district’s Guidance for Return to Athletic Conditioning Plan.

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"We are committed to following the practices and procedures put in place to ensure the safety of student-athletes as they return to campus for conditioning. Their safety and well-being are a priority we all share and we will continue to keep the lines of communication open with our families during this process," Watson said Thursday afternoon.

RELATED: CoronavirusNOW.com, FOX launches national hub for COVID-19 news and updates.

Know how the COVID-19 outbreak is impacting Georgia

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