An Horry County Schools employee who tested positive for coronavirus has died
An Horry County Schools employee who previously tested positive for coronavirus has died, board chairman Ken Richardson confirmed Monday.
“I am just devastated,” Richardson wrote in a statement. “My sympathies go out to the family. We lost a member of our HCS family.”
The employee’s name and school of employment were not immediately released, but Richardson noted the employee was a bus driver.
Richardson also posted on social media that he doesn’t believe the driver had recent contact with children.
The district reported three employees with COVID-19 last week, including two who had been working during the closure at Socastee Elementary and another at South Conway Elementary.
The district noted in its emails announcing the cases that it cannot release additional information about any of the employees or their current health status.
HCS students began spring break Friday, but the district is continuing to offer free breakfast and lunch pick-up during the week. The district has been closed by the governor’s executive order since March 16 and will remain closed until at least the end of April.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has confirmed seven coronavirus-related deaths in Horry County among 134 cases through Sunday.
Correction: This article has been updated after Richardson altered his response to a question about the employee’s contact with students on social media.
This story was originally published April 13, 2020 at 12:50 PM.
