Limestone County Schools has announced several summer programs, including free meals and camps for students, have been postponed after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19.

Programs affected include the summer reading program, 21st Century Community Learning Center programs, extended school-year services for special needs students, drive-thru meal pickup and engagement camps for robotics, music and art. Brad Lewis, executive director for curriculum and instruction at LCS, said the staff member had visited multiple facilities to speak with teachers participating in summer programs.

The school system found out Sunday afternoon that the staff member had tested positive for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus and immediately notified anyone who had come in direct contact with the individual, Lewis said.

“We’re giving everyone time to self-quarantine that had direct exposure, and we’re sanitizing the facilities where the individual visited last week,” he said.

A drive-thru meal pickup program set to begin Monday at Sugar Creek Elementary and Tanner High was also postponed. If all goes well, Lewis said, the programs and camps are set to resume after the two-week self-quarantine period ends on July 20.

He said the staff member did develop symptoms of the disease prior to their test and was at home resting. For most people, COVID-19 causes mild to moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, though it can result in more severe symptoms, including difficulty breathing, for those with underlying conditions.

Symptoms can appear up to two weeks after exposure to the virus. As of Monday, there had been 501 confirmed cases in Limestone County since March, with 217 of those cases, or 43.3%, testing positive in the last two weeks, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health.