Coronavirus Precautions In New Lenox: All Schools Closed

NEW LENOX, IL — Several area schools, organizations and groups are canceling events and outings due to the coronavirus. Per an order from Governor JB Pritzker, all private and public schools in Illinois will be closed starting Tuesday, March 17, until March 30.

Lincoln-Way Implements E-Learning Days

Lincoln-Way D210 said it will be closed effective Monday, March 16. The district has spring break the week of March 30, so will not resume until Monday, April 6.

The district said it will implement enrichment e-Learning days starting Tuesday, March 17 through March 27.

"While we do not have any confirmed cases of coronavirus in our district, this decision was made in an abundance of caution to limit the spread of the COVID-19 illness in our community," Superintendent Dr. R. Scott Tingley said in a release.

New Lenox Library Cancels Programs

The library has canceled all programs and events through April 1. Use of the meeting and study rooms is also suspended.

The library itself remains open.

Lincoln-Way Expo Canceled

In New Lenox, the Lincoln-Way Expo, a joint chamber event between New Lenox and Mokena, planned for Saturday at Lincoln-Way Central has been canceled.

Health and Safety Expo Canceled

A severe weather spotter training, health and safety expo, touch-a-truck event scheduled for March 24 at Lincoln-Way West High School in New Lenox has been canceled.

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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 SARS-Cov-2, 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, the illness caused by SARS-Cov-2, struck the U.S. on Jan. 21.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now being spread 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 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, and cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.