Largest NorCal School District Closes Due To Coronavirus

SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA — The Elk Grove Unified School District, the largest in Northern California, announced Saturday it would close all of its schools and cancel student activities after a family in the district tested positive for COVID-19.

The district, the fifth-largest in the state, is the biggest California district so far to close its doors in an effort to halt the spread of the new coronavirus.

The closure will be in effect through Friday, March 13. No students or staff in the district have tested positive, the district said in a statement.

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"This complex decision involved close collaboration and coordination with EGUSD Board of Trustees, labor groups, the Sacramento County Office of Education and the Sacramento County Public Health Department," the district said. "We will be working closely with multiple community partners to coordinate and adjust planned events as needed."

Meanwhile, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday said that more school districts in the state are likely to close in the near future as the coronavirus spreads across California.

"It’s a question of when — not if — some California public schools will face closure because of COVID-19," Newsom said in a statement. "School districts must prepare for these scenarios so that parents and children can plan for what would happen if their local school faced closure."

According to the state's most recent official totals, as of Sunday morning, California has 114 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including one death.

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