Sumter High JV football team under quarantine for two weeks

The entire Sumter High School junior varsity football team is under quarantine for two weeks after playing against a St. James team on Thursday that had two players who had tested positive for coronavirus.
According to a story by Post and Courier Myrtle Beach, the entire St. James JV team has been placed in quarantine as well. The team was notified prior to the game at Sumter Memorial Stadium, but the game went on as scheduled.
According to multiple sources, the Post and Courier Myrtle Beach reported the St. James team was originally told to turn the bus around and return home, but received a call shortly thereafter that it could play as scheduled.
A St. James official said Sumter was notified of the circumstances before the game, but Sumter School District disputed that in a statement released on Sunday.
“We were not privy to the circumstances of the students of the opposing team nor the severity of the situation prior to the team’s arrival,” district Superintendent Dr. Penelope Martin-Knox said in a statement released on Monday. “Based on conversation with the staff of the opposing team, clearance was given for the game to proceed. We later learned that an adult, in addition to the two students, tested positive prompting our students to be quarantined. To my knowledge, the game was played without any COVID-19 positive individuals on the field.”
An e-mail was sent to parents and guardians on Sunday informing them of the quarantine, which will run through Oct. 30. Martin-Knox said every effort was made to reach parents and guardians via telephone prior to the announcement.
“Communication is key,” she said. “Our staff from Sumter High School worked diligently to contact our parents by telephone prior to the district posting their announcement on social media platforms.”
None of the Sumter JV players are known to have coronavirus. None have been tested yet, according to the district.
“According to DHEC guidelines, when individuals quarantine, they must monitor for symptoms for seven days,” Martin-Knox said. “If symptoms develop, they must get a test.”