Plymouth Schools Cancel Weekend Events Amid Coronavirus Concerns

PLYMOUTH, MA — Plymouth Public Schools, which were canceled Friday while a professional cleaning company was brought in to disinfect all 12 schools in the district and buses, will not host any previously scheduled events this weekend as well. Plymouth Superintendent of Schools Gary Maestas has taken the steps amid parental coronavirus concerns after a high school student who recently returned from a school trip to Italy experienced flu-like symptoms Wednesday night.

Maestas in a letter to parents said the Friday closing was done "out of an abundance of caution" after his office receive several parental calls seeking direction. A statement released Friday said "all events scheduled to take place at our schools this weekend have been canceled to allow us to effectively and efficiently address all 12 schools."

(More on the coronavirus can be found in this fact sheet from the CDC.)

The superintendent said Thursday that sanitizing efforts have been increased at all Plymouth schools and that Plymouth Schools will stay in touch with the Plymouth Board of Health, local and state agencies for any updates. He said parents and staff will be updated on the condition of the student who received medical treatment as warranted.

Plymouth Town Manager Melissa Arrighi said on Friday the town's senior center will also be sanitized: "The town has worked with the School Department to arrange for our Center for Active Living to be cleaned and disinfected over the weekend by a local cleaning company. I would like to personally thank the Schools, and Arthur Montrond, for his assistance with these efforts."

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% 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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Coronavirus in Massachusetts and elsewhere

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