Weymouth High Staff Member Self-Quarantined: Superintendent

WEYMOUTH, MA — A Weymouth High School staff member reported a self-quarantine, according to a message from the Weymouth Superintendent's office to staff and parents. Weymouth Superintendent of Schools Jennifer Curtis Whipple and Coordinator of Health Services Paula Magnasco sent the message on Friday informing the community that they were aware of the self-reported quarantine, but could not confirm the reason for it.

Whipple updated staff and parents late Friday afternoon that health officials told her there is no one in the district suspected of carrying the coronavirus disease. She said the employee self-reported that she was suffering from a fever shortly after returning from a trip abroad and the health department was notified out of an abundance of caution.

"Please know that the safety and health of all our staff and student is of our utmost priority," the message obtained by WFXT-TV said, "however, acting in haste without enough information will cause undue stress. We will continue to update you as more information becomes available. Again, we do not have any confirmation from the Department of Public Health and we cannot stress enough the importance of remaining calm."

While coronavirus was apparently ruled out in this case, the spread of the disease worldwide has caused communities to be on high alert for the potential that cases will soon become more prevalent in the United States.

"It's not so much a question of if this will happen anymore but rather more a question of exactly when this will happen and how many people in this country will have severe illness," a CDC official said this week.

As of Tuesday, there has only been one confirmed case of coronavirus in Massachusetts: a man in his 20s who attends UMass-Boston.

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