COVID-19 cluster identified at Buncombe County middle school Kristy Kepley-Steward A COVID-19 cluster has been confirmed at Reynolds Middle School in Asheville. Buncombe County Schools has identified seven lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 associated with the school. These seven cases are linked which classifies them as a cluster per the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS). A “cluster” is defined as five or more plausibly linked cases over a 14-day period. The process of contact tracing was performed through BCHHS and all school-related close contacts have been identified and notified individually and given further guidance regarding testing and quarantine.