COLUMBIA — Westwood High school will reschedule two varsity and two junior varsity football games against Dreher High School and Irmo High School
On Monday, October 5, 2020, 12 student athletes were placed on quarantine for 14 days after the school was notified that an athlete from the opposing team at the October 3 football game tested positive for COVID-19. Westwood High coaches watched video from the game and identified the 12 players considered to be close contacts, or within six feet of the individual for a combined total of at least 15 minutes. The remainder of the Westwood High varsity football team has been informed that while they are not considered to be close contacts they should monitor for symptoms.
Following guidance from the S.C. High School League, Richland Two has put in place many preventive practices to limit the chance of spread of the virus. However in a group setting, some may still be exposed to the coronavirus, which causes COVID-19. When possible exposure occurs school nurses and school and district administrators act quickly to conduct contact tracing and notify those who need to quarantine or monitor for symptoms.
The football games against Dreher High School have been rescheduled to October 29 for the junior varsity game and October 30 for the varsity game. The games against Irmo High School have been rescheduled to November 5 for junior varsity and November 6 for varsity. Players on the junior varsity team were not impacted by the quarantine but the schools decided to keep the junior varsity and varsity games on the same week.
Westwood High Principal Robert Jackson said, “The health and well-being of our staff and students remains our highest priority, and we are continuing to adjust and improve our protocols to make our learning experiences the safest possible.”
