COVID-19 a challenge in schools, the hospital in Cape Coral

Writer: Jack Lowenstein
Published: Updated:
Credit: WINK News.

A Southwest Florida city is struggling with COVID-19. One of its school systems is in crisis mode, while an additional morgue has been brought in because there are so many deaths at the local hospital.

Cape Coral just received a new testing site to help determine cases, as 1,800 students and staff of Oasis Charter Schools are in quarantine, with many not knowing if they’re positive for COVID-19.

With so many students and teachers out of the classroom, Oasis Charter is set to meet Friday night at Cape Coral City Hall to talk about what to do next.

There are at least seven Lee County schools in Cape Coral with classrooms shut down.

The School District of Lee County confirmed 20 teachers are also out of school at Pelican Elementary.

On top of that, Cape Coral Hospital brought in a temporary morgue to handle the increase in deaths, and there are 167 people in Cape Coral Hospital with COVID-19.

Lee Health joined with Curative to open a new testing site off Pine Island Road to handle the increased demand.

“I’m very nervous, very, very nervous,” parent Krisi Pope said.

Pope’s daughter is a student of Oasis Charter Schools, where 100 students have tested positive for COVID-19.

“I would like to see them have a mask mandate again because it’s worse now than it was last year,” Pope said. “Or bring back the virtual option, which they’re not going to do apparently, so I’m just worried.”

Cedrica Davis told us her mom is worried too. Davis is a senior at Island Coast High School. She doesn’t have symptoms, but she told us she got tested Friday because the school said she was exposed to the virus.

“We’re getting a lot of COVID tests now, and nobody’s wearing mask because you know the vaccine and stuff,” Davis said. “My mom just wanted me to be safe and just get the test just in case, even though, I have a vaccine. She just wants to make sure I don’t have it or anything.”

Oasis Charter Schools meets at 5:30 p.m. The charter school system hopes, by the end of the conversation, leaders can come up with possible solutions to slow the spread of COVID-19 through its schools.

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