MEMPHIS, Tenn — Christian Brothers High School will go from hybrid to all distance learning through at least October 5th, after a school spokesperson said Monday four students, one teacher and one staff member tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days.
A CBHS spokesperson said: "We are concerned with the uptick in positive cases. By moving to distance learning over the next two weeks, we are hoping to reset and return to our hybrid model in October."
"The 14-day quarantine you do take advantage of the fact that we pretty much know that if you do get infected from a given exposure within that timeframe but want you can't guarantee is that some of them may be asymptomatically infected indeed within that timeframe and then be infectious to others beyond the 14 days,” Dr. Steve Threlkeld with Baptist Memorial Hospital said.
Dr. Threlkeld - an infectious disease expert - also expressed concern of a second COVID-19 wave in the coming months, that could play out alongside flu season.
"We are going to have more people in winter months that are going to be in enclosed together indoors indoors in smaller spaces, not outside, virus loves those kinds of conditions,” Dr. Threlkeld said.
Dr. Threlkeld also argued the Centers For Disease Control - or CDC - is confusing people with major guideline reversals in recent days.
The agency added - then removed Monday morning - that it’s possible COVID-19 spreads through airborne transmission.
Last week, the CDC also reversed its guideline to again recommend anyone in closed contact with an infected person get tested, even if they aren’t showing symptoms.
"We have to have a public that trusts what we say in the field of infectious disease and science, if we don't have that, then how are they going to trust us when a vaccine comes out?" Dr. Threlkeld said.
