Fayette school employee tested positive for COVID-19, is recuperating at home

An employee of the Fayette County Public Schools who works at Lexington’s James Lane Allen Elementary School was diagnosed with COVID-19 Saturday, district officials said.

The person is home recuperating.

The district is working side-by-side with the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department to respond appropriately based on factual information.

The employee was last at James Lane Allen on Friday, March 13, and at that time, they were not exhibiting any symptoms.

Two employees who had close contact with the individual are not exhibiting any symptoms, but out of an abundance of caution they will self-quarantine for a full 14 days from the time they last interacted, a statement from the district said.

The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department has completed contact tracing and concluded that the rest of the James Lane Allen community is at no higher risk than anyone else in the general public.

“Honest and transparent communication is critical during this uncertain time,” said Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Manny Caulk.

“The health, safety and well-being of our employees, students, families and community-at-large is our primary concern and we will continue to collaborate with the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department and Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government to respond appropriately and act with caution and compassion based on factual information,” Caulk said.

This story was originally published March 22, 2020 at 5:26 PM.