A parent who attended a high school graduation ceremony in Quincy, Massachusetts on Saturday has tested positive for COVID-19, according Interim Superintendent Kevin W. Mulvey.
In a letter to community members Sunday morning, Mulvey wrote that contact tracing had been completed by Quincy’s health department, and those potentially affected had been notified.
According to Quincy health officials, four other parents who attended the ceremony were asked to be tested and quarantine.
The city's health department added that the person who tested positive experienced a "medical incident" on the field and that a medical professional assisted.
The health department added "each person was seven feet from one another" at the event.
Precautions taken during the 10 a.m. ceremony mean that the risk of transmission to most guests was low, according to Mulvey. The district required everyone to wear face coverings to the ceremony, seated family groups at least six feet apart and staggered arrivals and departures.
On July 17, a paraprofessional working at a summer special education program in Quincy tested positive for COVID-19, prompting several other staff members and students to quarantine. An administrator at Quincy High School also tested positive.
Massachusetts officials put out guidelines this past week on school reopening plans for the fall. Recommendations include encouraging parents to bring their children to school rather than sending them on a bus and creating groups of students in school who regularly stay together to minimize interaction with others.
