The City of Great Bend reported Tuesday that members of the Youth Academy Class held last Thursday, June 24, may have been exposed to COVID-19. 

A City of Great Bend employee who was a speaker and briefly helped with mid-morning activities at the Great Bend Police Department shooting range became ill later that same day and has tested positive for COVID-19, City Administrator Kendal Francis said. Approximately 30 seventh and eighth graders attended the class.

The City is working with the Barton County Health Department on contact tracing to determine the additional staff members who may have been exposed. BCHD Director Karen Winkelman said anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 receives insolation orders. Those identified as close contacts will receive a quarantine recommendation and the health department will attempt to contact them.

Anyone who had contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 should be monitored for symptoms for 14 days, which is the incubation period for the virus. The City recommends that parents of those students who attended Youth Academy monitor their children for symptoms for 14 days from the time of the event (until July 8). If symptoms appear, the individual should immediately self-isolate and contact the health department or a health-care provider.

People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

- Fever or chills

- Cough

- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

-Fatigue

- Muscle or body aches

- Headache

- New loss of taste or smell

- Sore throat

- Congestion or runny nose

- Nausea or vomiting

- Diarrhea

The second Youth Academy class that was scheduled for this week has been postponed until July 15.