COBB COUNTY, Ga - Some Cobb County parents are worried and concerned after getting a letter from their school that their child has been exposed to COVID-19. They were told to quarantine over the Thanksgiving break, but they didn't get the letter until after the break was over.
The letter to some parents of children at East Cobb Middle School was dated November 30, which is the day parents received it. In bold letters, it states "Your child was identified as a close contact to someone diagnosed with COVID-19".
No one wants to read that, but parents said what is even more concerning, are the dates the children were told to quarantine. The letter states children should quarantine from November 19 through December 3. But again, parents didn't receive the letter until November 30.
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Quarantine notification delay
Some Cobb County parents are concerned they were not notified in a timely manner that their child needed to be quarantined due to possible COVID-19 exposure.
Several parents told FOX 5 if they had known about the exposure, they would likely have changed their holiday plans and made sure their child was in quarantine.
FOX 5 asked the health department and the school district why the notification was delayed.
The Cobb and Douglas Department of Public Health said as soon as officials are notified of a case, they verify it is a positive case they are diligent and timely in contacting the school system to get a close contact list, so they can start a case investigation and contact tracing immediately.
Valerie Crowe with the Department of Public Health sent a statement to FOX 5 that reads "Cobb & Douglas Public Health worked through the holiday week on COVID response, including case investigations and contact tracing. Once the Cobb County School District completed their internal contact tracing, upon the school district's reopening, and once CDPH quickly verified the list, CCSD sent out the letters".
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A spokesperson for the Cobb County School District released a statement reading, "We received the letter on Monday, November 30th, once we re-opened from the Thanksgiving break, and were able to respond to Cobb & Douglas Public Health, then we promptly sent it out to the community. We really do appreciate the incredible work the contact tracers, doctors, public health experts, and lab technicians undertook during Thanksgiving. We are thankful for the way they have worked together to keep the process as efficient and timely as possible even when schools are closed for the holidays".
Parents told FOX 5, there should have been some way to inform everyone before the holiday. They hope the next time there's a possible exposure, they're notified sooner, especially with the Christmas break just weeks away.
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