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Quincy schools announce steps against COVID-19 spread

by EMRY DINMAN
Staff Writer | March 10, 2020 7:45 PM

QUINCY — Quincy School District is asking students and community members with symptoms of the coronavirus to stay out of school buildings and is canceling or postponing a number of large indoor events, but will not be closing schools, according to a statement Tuesday evening.

This follows a recent announcement by health officials that a Quincy resident who was sick with the virus and died Saturday had been at a Feb. 21 production of “Mary Poppins” at the Quincy High School theater.

“The Quincy School District has been working collaboratively with Grant County Health District and NCW Educational Service District (ESD) regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19),” Superintendent John Boyd said in a statement. “We have been in daily contact with these partners in our effort to keep up to date with the virus and to best determine the appropriate steps for our district.”

Upcoming choir and band events will be postponed. In consultation with the Moses Lake School District, this weekend’s middle school regular-season wrestling match and the culminating North Central Washington Middle School league wrestling tournament have been canceled. Other indoor student events in March considered non-essential may also be postponed, including upcoming student-led conferences, subject to the district’s discretion.

Outdoor events will not be affected at this time. The district directed all questions about specific events to the host school’s principal.

The district will also cancel all travel for student groups or adult professional development to the Puget Sound area, which is the epicenter of the outbreak in Washington. It will also “limit visitors from outside the district: especially visitors from the west side of the state,” Boyd wrote.

Signs will be posted on each school asking members of the community not to enter school buildings if they are sick with COVID-19 symptoms and to be symptom-free for 72 hours before returning, the press release stated.

Limited reports suggest children without underlying health conditions who are infected with the disease generally present with mild symptoms, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Boyd said he was not aware of any students or staff that have requested coronavirus testing or who have self-quarantined.

The district is directing students and staff with compromised immune systems to get a note from a physician and request time off “through our normal leave procedures” if they choose to stay home.

The district will be disinfecting surfaces in buildings daily and buses after every daily route, the press release added. Though it is not clear how long the COVID-19 virus can survive on surfaces, studies suggest that similar viruses can persist for as little as a few hours to up to several days, according to the CDC.

However, on the advice of the Grant County Health District, the district will not be closing schools or temporarily transitioning to online classes, citing concerns that doing so would negatively impact learning. Boyd noted that the district was preparing in case school closures become necessary.

“Our top priority is to do our very best to provide a safe learning environment for all,” Boyd wrote. “Our primary goal is to limit the spread of COVID-19 so we can continue to keep schools open and teach our students.”