Four students and one staffer of Royal School District tested positive for COVID-19

ROYAL CITY — Five cases of the coronavirus associated with the Royal School District were detected last week, only two weeks after the district opened its doors to a mix of on-campus and remote learning, according to the Grant County Health District.

Four students from Red Rock Elementary, Royal Intermediate School and Royal Middle School and one staff member had tested positive, the district wrote in a press release last Wednesday. Officials reported last Wednesday that it isn’t clear if the virus has spread further in the schools, but that the five cases had initially come from outside of the schools.

“If a child or other staff member had close contact with a person who tested positive, they will be contacted directly with instructions about monitoring symptoms, quarantining, and testing,” the district wrote in a press release. “At this point into the investigations, it is too early to assess whether there was any additional spread at schools.”

If cases are detected that are determined to have spread within the schools, health officials warned that in-person education might be put on hold.

“For now, the schools in Royal City remain open based on the local school board decision to offer some form of in-person learning, but given the rate of COVID in Grant County, there is a continued risk for COVID spread on campus,” the district wrote.

“The decision to close the schools will be based on finding spread or outbreaks on school premises or on the buses.”

The health district also noted that in-person education is currently not recommended by local or state health officials, given the rate of coronavirus infection in Grant County.

“As previously presented to our community, DOH and our region’s health officers do not support full in-person education until the rate of COVID-19 drops below (75 cases per 100,000 people over the course of 14) days,” the district wrote.

The Moses Lake School District, the only other major public school district in the county to offer some in-person education, started school Monday, September 14. However, in-person education in both districts has been curtailed this week by oppressive wildfire smoke creating unhealthy air conditions.