Coronavirus In MA: Greater Lawrence Tech To Go Online Next Week

ANDOVER, MA — Greater Lawrence Technical School will go online-only next week, Superintendent John Lavoie announced Thursday. The school will also open three hours late, Friday. The changes are part of an attempt to limit the spread of the new coronavirus.

Classes will begin at 10:48 a.m. Friday for the last day of in-person classes for at least a week.

"From Monday, March 16 through Friday, March 20, GLTS will close its facilities, and students will continue their studies online with the assistance of technologies including Chromebooks and Google Classroom," Lavoie said. "Educators will be available by email and Google Classroom to assist students throughout the week with their studies and assignments."

There are no known cases of the virus in the school community, Lavoie noted. 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.

“The safety and wellbeing of our students and staff is our main concern at all times, and we have decided to close Greater Lawrence Tech temporarily in order to reduce our community’s risk of exposure to this virus as much as possible,” Lavoie said. “This is all in an effort to proactively address the COVID-19 situation. I would also like to thank the GLTS community for their patience and cooperation throughout this challenging, evolving situation.”

Adult education, after-hours programs for area students, and all before- and after-school events, including athletics, are canceled next week.

"GLTS will be providing wraparound services to ensure students have access to resources and programs to meet a variety of needs next week," according to the announcement. "GLTS staff will additionally be regularly checking in with students who may need extra help and support next week. Information about the various supports and services that will be provided to students while the facility is closed will also be shared on the school’s website at glts.net."

During the week of online learning, the school will undergo a "thorough disinfecting and sanitizing effort." That is in addiction to the daily cleaning regimen already implemented in recent weeks.

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.

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Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.