PUSD Calls Off Prom, Field Trips Due To Coronavirus Concerns

PLEASANTON, CA — The Pleasanton Unified School District has called off school dances and assemblies, field trips, fundraisers and events that draw more than 1,000 people due to concerns about spread of the new coronavirus, in accordance with the Alameda County Public Health Department's recommendations. Classes will continue, per the health department's guidelines.

The county revised its recommendations Tuesday, the same day it announced a third patient in the county had tested positive for the virus. It suggested cancelling or postponing large events of more than 1,000 people, and limiting the duration, size and density of events of 100 to 1,000 people.

PUSD events will be called off through the end of spring break, Superintendent David Haglund said in a letter to the schools community. The district is working 30 days out and will reevaluate for late April and May is it gets closer to those days.

Athletic contests, performances and concerts will be restricted through the end of spring break, with a maximum of 100 spectators arms-length distance from one another.

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The district is also: prohibiting volunteers from coming on campus; cancelling guest speakers; reviewing facility rentals; and requiring parents to pick students up outside of school gate.

It asks that anyone with underlying health issues that put them in the high-risk group, as designated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, do not attend school events.

Haglund said in an email to Patch that the district is encouraging principals to reschedule events if possible, though that will not be possible for all events. PUSD will notify the community of any changes.

The district posts updates on its website as they are sent out via email.

"We are hopeful that this issue will subside as we move out of flu season, but this is a new virus and somewhat unpredictable," he wrote.

The district is already receiving backlash from students, more than 100 of which have signed a petition asking PUSD to refrain from cancelling proms at Amador Valley High School and Foothill High School.

The petition argues that students are at greater risk of contracting coronavirus in class due to increased student contact and desk-sharing, but classes continue. It also notes that older and high-risk people are at greater risk for experiencing serious symptoms as a result of the virus.

Alameda County declared a public health emergency and Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency last week to provide additional resources, prevent price gouging and help the state better prepare for the virus's spread.

The emergency declaration followed the first known coronavirus-related death in California — an elderly Placer County resident who was exposed to the virus on a Grand Princess cruise Feb. 11-21 from San Francisco to Mexico and back.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).

The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21. Ninety-nine cases have been reported across 13 states, with 10 U.S. deaths confirmed, according to a Thursday CDC update.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 it and no antiviral treatment.

According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.

To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Read more about the coronavirus outbreak here on the CDC website.

— Bay City News Service contributed to this report