LABELLE – Sixty-seven students from LaBelle High School (LHS) are in quarantine after being exposed during a junior varsity (JV) football game on October 15. Contact tracing was started immediately after a LaBelle student, who started experiencing symptoms on October 11, had attended the game. That student tested positive for COVID-19.

Twenty-eight of the 67 are on LaBelle’s JV football team. According to the Hendry County School Board, the JV football team, four staff members- including two coaches, and a few players that also play on the Varsity team have been advised to quarantine by the Hendry County Health Department. Officials also recommended the Clewiston JV football team to quarantine, since they played LaBelle on October 15. All of these students, staff and coaches have been quarantined since Monday, October 18.

A decision was made to cancel the Friday, October 23 game after school officials, health department officials, and the FHSA discussed the matter.

As of Thursday, October 22, LHS had 66 students and 7 staff members ordered to quarantine, according to the Hendry County School District’s COVID-19 dashboard. The dashboard can be found at https://www.hendry-schools.org/