COVID-19 cluster identified at Buncombe County high school

BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — Buncombe County Schools announced Friday, May 14, that a COVID-19 cluster was identified at Enka High School.

School officials say seven lab-confirmed cases were linked to one another. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services defines a cluster as five or more plausibly linked cases over a 14-day period.

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Contact tracing was performed by Buncombe County Health and Human Services (BCHHS), and all school-related close contacts have been notified individually and given further guidance, school officials say.

"The areas related to these cases have been thoroughly cleaned and sanitized," a news release from the BCS said. "Operations at Enka High will continue as usual, and we will keep you apprised of further updates."

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Buncombe school officials said the cluster is expected to appear on the NCDHHS COVID-19 Ongoing Clusters in Child Care and School Settings Report Friday, May 14.