Walnut Valley COVID- 19 (Novel Coronavirus) Updates And Guidelines

From the Walnut Valley Unified School District:

February 28, 2020

Dear Walnut Valley Families,

Recent national news coverage concerning the COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus), has sparked conversations and questions from our community in regards to the health and safety of our students and staff, and we would like to share the following information with you.

The Walnut Valley Unified School District (WVUSD) continues to work closely with and obtain guidance from local, state, and federal public health agencies to monitor the latest updates regarding the COVID-19 and ensure the wellbeing of students and staff.

Most recent updates from the Los Angeles County Office of Education and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health state:

· Los Angeles County has only had one case of novel coronavirus in a traveler from Wuhan City, China, last month. The traveler has since been cleared from the virus and is no longer under quarantine.

· At this time, there are no plans for imminent school closures.

At this time, the health risk of the COVID-19 to the general public in California remains low, but we continue to encourage common-sense precautions to prevent the spread of all infectious diseases:

• Wash your hands.
• Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.
• If you don’t have a tissue, sneeze, or cough into your sleeve or arm.
• Keep students home if they are ill.
• Do not send your child to school if your child has a temperature of 100°F or higher. Students must be fever-free for 24 hours without having taken fever-reducing medication (i.e., Advil, Tylenol, Motrin, etc.)

FOR RETURNING TRAVELERS FROM CHINA

While health agencies may issue mandatory quarantines of individuals, WVUSD does not have the authority or responsibility to mandate or enforce the quarantining of our students. WVUSD’s mission is to educate students, which includes sharing accurate information regarding the COVID-19 and sharing regular updates from health agency experts.

Consistent with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidance on returning travelers from China, local health departments are communicating with travelers returning from mainland China to provide guidance about limiting public interactions for 14 days.

Travelers from mainland China arriving in the United States since February 3, 2020, should practice “social distancing” (staying home away from public places including school) for 14 days, beginning the day after they left China.

Please contact your school’s principal regarding your child’s circumstances relating to recent travel from mainland China or other affected countries.

CDC guidance on returning travelers is available here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/risk-assessment.html

WVUSD respects the confidentiality of our students and will never share personal information of students with the public. Students who recently returned from China and are practicing social distancing will receive support from our schools and WVUSD to facilitate continued learning at home.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

We understand that this unprecedented situation may be stressful, but we encourage sensitivity in actions and words to avoid marginalization of students and segments of our community. Thank you for your partnership in helping to ensure that our students remain healthy and continue to learn in a safe and welcoming environment.

For more information, visit the Los Angeles County Department of Health and California Department of Public Health

Attached Files

• Health Update - COVID-19 Update for Parents Feb. 28, 2020.pdf

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