Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh reports more cases of COVID-19

Five more cases of the coronavirus have been reported at Cardinal Gibbons High School, the head of school said on the school’s website Monday.

The five cases bring total cases associated with the Raleigh school to 11, Head of School Jeff Bell stated on the Cardinal Gibbons website.

“Four of these five new cases appear to be linked to a group of four cases that we discovered were connected to one another last week, which makes for eight related cases,” Bell stated.

The state health department considers five or more cases a cluster, but Bell said the connected cases all appear to have been contracted off campus, “like all of our cases to date.”

The county health department has not recommended closing the school or changing any of its protocols, Bell stated. That could change in the future if multiple cases are found to have been contracted on campus, he stated.

He also asked that all students who may have been exposed to the virus at a mass gathering or who have a COVID-19 test pending be kept at home, along with any siblings, until cleared by a health care provider.

“This year is unique,” Bell stated. “Our goal is to continue to provide on-campus learning for our students so that they are able to make safe social connections with friends, have a robust and meaningful educational experience, and be a part of the vibrant Gibbons community. We need your help to make this possible.”

Cardinal Gibbons, a part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh, is one of North Carolina’s biggest private schools. It had 1,532 students and 148 teachers last school year, The News & Observer previously reported.

This story was originally published August 31, 2020 at 9:38 PM.