Tewksbury High School Italy Trip Coronavirus Self-Quarantine Over

TEWKSBURY, MA — The Tewksbury Memorial High School students and staff who went on a February trip to Italy passed the 14-day cautionary self-quarantine period without issue, the district announced. As of Monday there were no cases of self-quarantine specific to the district. The situation is changing rapidly, so that may change, butany change will likely be unrelated to the Italy trip, Superintendent Chris Malone said in his letter to families.

Students and staff who went on the trip were asked to self-quarantine through Friday.

The district is examining all planned travel and field trips, Malone said in the letter Monday. The district has not issued any updated information since the number of confirmed cases doubled Tuesday.

"Governor Baker has asked that all international student travel be canceled," Malone wrote. "We are also examining United States based travel and even smaller in-state field trips. We are attempting to balance smart decision making without creating unnecessary panic."

"Dismissals and/or closing are certainly possibilities but would be made based on the facts and guidance at hand," he wrote.

The letter also describes enhanced cleaning, which has been used in the past for flu outbreaks. The plan has been customized to the new coronavirus. Malone wrote:

• "Almost all of our custodians have been working overtime, including weekends, engaged in a deep clean of all schools utilizing CDC approved methods and products to address the Coronavirus issue.
• Additional cafeteria staff have been brought in to enhance cleaning of cafeteria surfaces before, after and in between lunches with approved methods and products.
• We have acquired a Protexus electrostatic spray gun with approved and safe methods specific to Coronavirus prevention utilizing approved disinfecting and sanitizing solutions on larger areas at TMHS and have begun utilizing during non-school hours at all of our schools.
• We have contracted with Nano Safety Solutions (a company we have worked with before specific to illness prevention in our locker rooms and athletic equipment) who have begun treatment of larger areas at TMHS (gym, locker rooms, bathrooms) and will continue throughout TMHS and then to our other schools. This treatment is Coronavirus specific, longer lasting, and safe.
• We have coordinated with our vendors and suppliers to ensure we are prepared to support this level of cleaning and preparedness with the products needed. Although there is no guarantee that there will not be a nationwide shortage of these materials, we have been proactive about ensuring that they have been ordered."

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.

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