North Andover Public Schools Update On New Coronavirus

NORTH ANDOVER, MA — North Andover Public Schools are cancelling Mr. North Andover and all out-of-state travel, Superintendent Gregg Gilligan announced Thursday. There are no known cases of the new coronavirus in North Andover, he noted, and the district's schools will remain open, for now. If the district needs to close, they will utilize its Beyond The Classroom program to continue instruction.

"Our district leadership team and the Town’s Joint Task Force are collaborating to assess new information and adjust plans as necessary during this evolving situation," Gilligan wrote. "The Joint Task Force is also working continuously on preparedness and responsiveness. We are closely following the latest guidance of our local and state Department of Public Health (DPH), as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All information and updates are posted on the NAPS website."

If the district closes for an extended period of time, it will follow state guidance, Gilligan said.

The school has no scheduled international trips this spring, the superintendent said, but travel outside the state has been discontinued. Other school-sponsored activites are being assessed. The Board of Health recommended postponing the annual Mr. North Andover event, which draws hundreds of attendees.

"Health, hygiene habits, and cleaning are particularly important to us," Gilligan continued. "Students have been educated about handwashing and are encouraged to wash their hands throughout the day. Our custodians are implementing daily cleaning plans, along with enhanced cleaning and disinfection of high-contact surfaces (desks, doorknobs, light switches, chrome books, etc.). The district will also use heavy-duty electrostatic disinfection application spray guns to further sanitize facilities as needed. Additionally, school cafeterias have taken additional precautionary steps, as directed by the Board of Health. Also, our school transportation company has cleaned all buses and will continue to clean and sanitize regularly."

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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 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 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.

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