local Public School concernFag email CORONA VIRUS
2/28/2020
Dear **** community,
We understand that many of our students, staff and families may have questions about the coronavirus — now called COVID-19 — that emerged in China and is starting to spread across the world.
Although there are no confirmed cases in Minnesota as of Friday, Feb. 28, the situation surrounding the outbreak is rapidly evolving and the information or recommendations are changing as new information becomes available.
We want to assure the **** community that multiple district staff members are in regular contact with the Minnesota Department of Health and we are reviewing district policies regarding highly contagious illnesses to make sure we are prepared in case of a local outbreak.
We have created a place on the Student Health Services page on our website that will contain links to relevant information and guidance for our families and staff. Please check ****.org/health frequently as we will continue to update it.
It has been emphasized by the Minnesota Department of Health and others that the most important things you can do to protect yourself and your family from contagious conditions are the same preventative practices we promote every year during cold and flu season:
Wash your hands
Cover your cough
Staff and students must stay home when they are sick and must be fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication before returning to school. Additionally, we ask that members of the public who are sick to refrain from entering school buildings.
This morning, district office staff participated in a conference call with Minnesota Department of Health experts, including the newly appointed School Liason for the COVID-19 Response, *. The MDH said these calls will be held weekly to give updates to * and other districts throughout the state, and we plan to share any information we learn with you.
Here is what we learned from the call and from other information put out by MDH:
For Minnesotans, the immediate health risk from COVID-19 is considered low.
The MDH is not making a recommendation that events or extracurricular activities be canceled. Also, while school closures have been mentioned, it is not being considered at this time.
As always, the MDH recommends that people stay home when sick, cover their cough, and practice good hand hygiene.
We are in cold and flu season. COVID-19 symptoms are similar to these more common infections, and it is far more likely that anyone in Minnesota with respiratory symptoms is suffering from a cold or flu.
According to data studied in China, the highest risk groups are those who are older, particularly the elderly. Of the 44,000 cases studied in China, less than 1 percent were children 10 and younger, and an additional 1 percent were children 10-19 years old.
Schools do not need to assess anyone who recently traveled or make determinations about who should be allowed to come to work or school. This is the responsibility of MDH.
Anyone planning to travel to countries with elevated numbers of COVID-19 cases should review travel recommendations posted on CDC's Travel Health Notices here: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices
More information is available at the following link: https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/schools.html
In addition, district health services coordinator * has been in communication with public health specialists with the MDH and * County, and is updating nurses and health secretaries throughout the district. As of now, our health staff will maintain the same level of thorough care they already provide our school communities. District health staff are encouraging students to thoroughly wash their hands and cover their coughs. They will send home children with fevers over 100 degrees and inform parents to keep children home until they are 24 hours fever-free without fever reducers, all of which are protocols already in place.
****, custodial supervisor, said the maintenance staff has increased their disinfecting work, and the disinfectant the staff is using has been certified to kill COVID-19 and other viruses.
While the constant news cycle of this virus may be unsettling, the good news is that experts are learning more about it every day. We will continue to follow the advice of the experts from the Minnesota Department of Health and will pass along anything we learn to help keep the **** community updated.
Thank you,
****
Superintendent
****