Health Dept. Reports COVID-19 Outbreak Among Chesco Cheer Team

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — Six members of one high school cheerleading team in Downingtown have tested positive for COVID-19, the Chester County Health Department confirmed.

Contact tracing identifies multiple potential local exposures of up to 60 people, the health department said late Thursday.

Chester County Health Department officials reported an outbreak of COVID-19 within a Downingtown-based high school cheerleading team who were attending a private camp through the school.

Six members of the team, all female ranging in age from 15 to 17, tested positive for the virus. Contact tracing efforts undertaken on the six positive COVID-19 cases have led to exposure risks of up to 60 further individuals at a nearby gymnastics facility.

The outbreak occurred when one individual attended cheerleading team practice after unknowingly being exposed to someone outside of cheerleading that tested positive a few days earlier, said CCHD officials.

Contact tracing efforts led to the confirmation of the additional positive cases.

This remains an ongoing investigation and the Chester County Health Department said it is working hard to identify and reach all possible exposures with information to be provided by the gymnastics facility.