By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

A Centre schools athlete is one of two county residents who tested positive for COVID-19. The new results were confirmed Tuesday evening.

The student and another person whose test results were reported the same day are now in isolation because of the virus. The county health department has declined to release ages, genders, or where the two live.

According to Centre school district, the student participated in a sports practice before being tested. As a result, other team members at practice that day have been ordered quarantined for 14 days.

County health nurse Diedre Serene said a nurse with the health department was working to trace anyone who was within six feet of the student for 10 minutes or longer.

“As we find contacts, the positive cases are isolated and contacts are quarantined,” Serene said.

Serene said she didn’t yet know if the student had traveled outside the county.

“We’re still trying to figure that out,” Serene said. “It’s under investigation. We’ve been in contact with Kansas Department of Health and Environment, and we’re investigating. I don’t know if it’s travel-related at this point.”

The two new confirmed COVID-19 cases are the first reported since mid-April and come on the heels of stay-at-home orders being lifted. Previously, the county had seven reported cases, five of which were confirmed by testing and two of which were “probable.”

Serene said she was not surprised to learn about more cases in the county.

“As people move more and we are conducting more testing, we’re going to find more,” she said.

Serene said she didn’t know the dates the two county residents were tested for the virus.