Arlington Parent Tests Positive For Coronavirus, School To Close

ARLINGTON, MA — An Arlington resident has tested positive for the new coronavirus, COVID-19, and she has a child at the Stratton Elementary School, town officials said Sunday night. The Arlington case, a woman in her 40s, is "presumptive positive," which means the Centers for Disease Control still needs to verify the test result. Of the state's 28 cases, only one — a UMass student who traveled to China — has been confirmed positive so far.

Town officials said the woman attended a Biogen employee conference in Boston last week that has been linked to several presumptive positive cases of the coronavirus. They are awaiting test results on her child, who has shown symptoms associated with the coronavirus. The second parent in the household and their other child, a Gibbs student, are symptom-free but will remain in self-quarantine for 14 days.

The Stratton School will be closed Monday, March 9. The Arlington Board of Health believes it is the first or one of the first coronavirus tests in the state on a symptomatic student whose parent tested positive for the virus.

"It is never an easy decision to close a school building. We are ever-mindful of childcare needs and family schedules, however we are faced with a challenging and uncertain situation," Superintendent Kathleen Bodie said in a statement. "Without test results in hand, and with a parent who has tested positive for COVID-19, the leadership team in Arlington unanimously feels that it is best to close the Stratton on Monday and re-evaluate during the day. I would like to thank our public health and public safety leaders as well as Town Manager Chapdelaine for their guidance and teamwork as we respond to our portion of this worldwide issue."

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Health officials are not recommending any further action on the part of school families. All other schools in Arlington will open Monday and operate normally. However, if families or children display symptoms of the coronavirus, including a fever, cough or shortness of breath, they should not come to work or school.

Health officials are also awaiting test results on another Arlington family, a member of which also attended the Biogen conference, who has children at Dallin Elementary, Gibbs and Arlington High School. None of those results are in yet, but the family is also in self-quarantine.

The Arlington presumptive positive case is included in the 15 cases announced by state public health officials Sunday. A total of 28 cases of the coronavirus have been reported in Massachusetts as of Sunday afternoon. The Massachusetts State Public Health Lab’s results are considered “presumptive positive” and the specimens will now be sent to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for final confirmation.

The risk of coronavirus to the general public in Massachusetts remains low. The district sanitized and disinfected all school buildings, including Dallin Elementary, Stratton Elementary, Gibbs Middle School, and Arlington High School, over the weekend. Cleaning crews have been on-site since Sunday morning and will have those four buildings fully cleaned and disinfected before the start of school on Monday.

Crews will be back at the Stratton performing a second clean-up on Monday. This includes the use of electrostatic machines and disinfecting spray, which are particularly effective at mitigating infections and viruses, with special attention to commonly touched surfaces and objects including but not limited to door handles, desks, chairs, gym equipment, floors, lavatories, teachers equipment, offices, and computers. These steps are not necessarily unusual, given that similar methods are used periodically during flu season anyway, and health officials remind residents that the seasonal flu remains a far more widespread danger to the general public than the coronavirus.

"We have an excellent facilities staff at the Arlington Public Schools, and they have the latest and most effective cleaning tools and products at their disposal," Bodie said in a statement. "As always we encourage everyone to practice good hand-washing routines and monitor themselves and their children for any signs of illness."

Any students who have to self-quarantine will be allowed to continue their lessons from home using virtual classroom technology.

Children and adults should be reminded to take everyday precautionary steps to stay healthy, including:

- Wash hands frequently, with soap and hot water, for at least 20 seconds.
- When you are sick, stay home to protect others and practice social distancing.
- Always cover your cough or sneeze.

"The Town of Arlington is well-prepared to respond to the coronavirus situation. Our leadership teams are meeting weekly, and we have detailed plans and procedures in place to ensure safety and continuity of municipal services," Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine said in a statement. "We have been meeting in anticipation that our community and any of our 43,000 residents could become ill, and we are delivering services and support to those affected by the coronavirus."

In a planning meeting on Friday, Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director Kevin Kelley implemented the federal Incident Command System. Public Health Director Natasha Waden was named the Incident Commander for coronavirus preparedness and response in Arlington.

The Arlington Health Department will continue to monitor the global spread of the coronavirus and continue to keep residents informed.

For more information, the Town of Arlington Health and Human Services COVID-19 page or call the health department at 781-316-3170. You may also visit the DPH's website or the CDC's website.