Coronavirus Update For Walnut Valley Parents And Families

From the Walnut Valley Unified School District:

February 7, 2020

Dear WVUSD Parents and Families,

The following information is the latest update from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

LA County continues to have only one confirmed case of coronavirus in a non-resident traveler. On Jan. 31, the Health & Human Services Secretary declared coronavirus a public health emergency in the United States. As part of this declaration, quarantine and isolation procedures have been implemented.

All travelers from China will be screened by CDC staff at designated airports:

1. Any traveler who is sick (fever, cough, respiratory illness) will be quarantined.
2. Travelers from Wuhan City or in the Hubei province will be quarantined for up to 14 days.
3. Travelers from anywhere else in China and who have been in contact with someone who has a confirmed case of coronavirus, will be quarantined for up to 14 days.
4. All others, healthy travelers, from mainland China will be given restrictions to self-isolate and self-monitor for fever and illness. The local public health will monitor and provide support to travelers. This only applies to travelers from mainland China. This does not apply to travelers from Hong Kong or Taiwan.

Quarantine – This is a legal term. Persons will be issued a quarantine order from CDC and transported to a military base in Riverside for quarantine.

Self-Isolation – This refers to social-distancing. Persons will be asked to go home and stay at home. They are to not to go to work, school or out in public. This is not quarantine and there is no legal order to self-isolate.

Duration of Quarantine or Self-isolation – up to 14 days based upon date of last potential exposure.

These guidelines went into effect Sunday, February 2, 2020. The guidelines do not apply to travelers that entered the U.S. prior to that date.

Identification of persons in quarantine or self-isolation is confidential. Public health will not notify schools if a student is in quarantine or self-isolation. The family will be asked to inform their child’s school that the child will be out of school. The absence should be excused.

School Responsibilities:

• Schools are not to investigate or inform students/parents that a student must self-isolate or be excluded from school.
• Public health will monitor and follow up persons in self-isolation.
• Schools are expected to provide support to students who are in self-isolation. Support includes – providing access to their education, such as through independent study or online instruction.
• There is no reason for any school to close due to coronavirus.

REMINDERS:

• The risk of coronavirus in the U.S., California and Los Angeles remains low. These guidelines are taken out of an abundance of caution.
• Prevention practices helpful for all illnesses:
• If sick, stay home.
• The best prevention is handwashing with soap and water for 20 seconds or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Cough or sneeze into your elbow or cover with tissue, throw tissue away and wash hands.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth.
• High contact areas such as door knobs, etc can be cleaned with regular cleaning supplies.

This press release was produced by the Walnut Valley Unified School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.