Coronavirus fears see students across New England sent home from school after traveling abroad
Confirmed coronavirus cases among students and staff back from trips to Italy forced a Rhode Island school to close for the week, while schools in Newton and Bellingham and in New Hampshire have sent potentially exposed kids and teachers home.
In Rhode Island, a teenage girl who recently returned from Italy tested positive for the coronavirus, along with two adults from the trip, prompting Saint Raphael Academy in Pawtucket to close until March 9.
All 38 of the people on the trip are being told to stay at home for 14 days and self-monitor for coronavirus symptoms.
At Newton North High School, more than 20 students and staff members who returned from Italy will stay home from school until further notice, officials said on Monday.
The 19 Newton North students, two staff members and one retired teacher were in Florence, Italy, for three weeks and Rome for one week. They do not have symptoms, but they’re being told to take their temperatures twice a day and self-monitor for coronavirus symptoms.
“This is an unsettling time for our community, our staff and our students,” Newton Superintendent of Schools David Fleishman said on Monday. “It’s particularly difficult for our students who have just returned from an outstanding educational experience in Italy.”
The coronavirus has recently spiked in Italy. More than 1,600 people there have been infected with the highly contagious disease and 34 people have died.
More than 89,000 people around the world have been infected with the coronavirus, and more than 3,000 people have died.
There have been at least 80 cases in the U.S. and six people have died. So far there has been one confirmed case in Massachusetts, a UMass Boston student who had traveled from Wuhan, China, where the disease was first detected. The risk in Massachusetts remains low, officials say. New Hampshire announced its first case Monday — a person recently returned from Italy, which has seen a spike in cases.
In Bellingham, some students and staff members who traveled abroad will also be staying home.
“Out of an abundance of caution, and under the direction of the Bellingham Board of Health, we have asked these students and staff members to stay home from school next week,” schools officials wrote over the weekend. “There is no need for concern at this time as this is a precautionary measure. The schools will continue to monitor the situation, disinfect classrooms each night, and take further actions if warranted.”
In Kearsarge, N.H., 35 high school students recently returned home after traveling to Italy.
“Out of an abundance of caution, I am asking the students and staff who attended the trip to stay home from school next week, and return on Monday, March 9,” Kearsarge Regional School District Superintendent Winfried Feneberg said in a statement. “This will ensure that a 14-day time period has elapsed from the time the students left the affected region.”
At Emerson College on Monday, President Lee Pelton told the community that “out of an abundance of caution, students currently studying at Kasteel Well (Netherlands) will return to Boston beginning this week so that they are able to complete their studies on our Boston campus.”
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/32KcOjU
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