Member of the Genoa-Kingston High School cross country team tests positive for COVID-19

A member of the Genoa-Kingston cross country team tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a letter sent from school officials on Thursday obtained by the Daily Chronicle.

It's unclear whether the team member contracted the virus during a practice or separately outside of the school altogether.

The letter, sent by athletic director Phil Jerbi, said the school received guidance from the DeKalb County Department of Public Health to cancel practice on Thursday. Official practices for the fall season began Monday, with the season set to start Aug. 24.

"The health and wellness of the Genoa Kingston students, staff and community are of the utmost importance, and we will continue to diligently enforce the recommendations of the IDPH,  CDC, ISBE and DeKalb County Health Department," Superintendent Brent O'Daniell said in a statement to the Daily Chronicle.

After conversations with the county health department, the letter said it had been determined that the G-K coaching staff and then entire athletic department had been enforcing all safety protocols during practices and open workouts, which began in the summer.

Therefore, the letter said, there is no reason for any other participants to quarantine at this time.

Practices are scheduled to resume Monday. There was no scheduled practice for Friday according to both O'Daniell and the letter.

At a board meeting Tuesday, the board denied O'Daniell's recommendation to begin the school year with full remote learning.

As of Friday according to state data, the 60135 zip code, which includes Genoa, had a 7.8% positivity rate for the virus, the highest in the county. Kingston's zip code has a 5.5% positivity rate, one of the lowest in the county. Combined they have more than 100 cases and a 7.4% positivity rate.