POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – Eight months into the pandemic, persistent concerns about COVID-19 led Polk County Public Schools to launch a call center to field questions.
“We have so many students in our district, we need to be able to address their parents concerns quickly and efficiently and the call center is a way they can do that,” said Audrey Kelley-Fritz, senior manager of prevention health & wellness, Polk County Public Schools.
The call center will answer general questions about COVID-19, help callers understand quarantine rules, and assist the Florida Department of Health in Polk County with contact tracing.
Contact tracers use class rosters and seating charts to identify students who have been exposed.
Students who spent 15 minutes or more within six feet of a COVID-19 positive person must quarantine, according to school policy.
“They call those student’s parents. They tell them they’re quarantined. We can help on that end. When they get overburdened or have a lot of new cases, we can assist them if they need it,” Kelley-Fritz said.
Latest reports show 428 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Polk County Public Schools.
Experts say immediate contact tracing is the key to stopping the spread.
“Every day that goes by and they’re contagious interacting with other people in the community is a way that it can be spread easily,” said Kelley-Fritz.
The COVID-19 hotline for Polk County schools is (863) 298-5206.
It will be open 7 days a week from 12:30pm- 8pm, except school holidays.
