Coronavirus Concerns: Wilmington Schools Cancel All Public Events

WILMINGTON, MA — Wilmington Public Schools are canceling all public events until the April vacation, which begins April 20. There are no known cases of the new coronavirus in the town, but the change is part of an "an effort to plan accordingly and be proactive," Superintendent Glenn Brand said in a letter to the community Wednesday. The event cancellations include parent-teacher conferences, plays, performances and uses of school spaces by community groups.

Later Wednesday, Brand announced schools will be closed Thursday for a thorough cleaning, after he learned of a parent of two children who is symptomatic for the new coronavirus.

An April trip to England for high school students has been canceled, as have all field trips planned for this week. Decisions on future trips will be made on a case-by-case basis.

The letter is available in full from the Wilmington Apple.

In his first letter, Brand said there was no plan to cancel classes, but said that could change if the district learned of potential contact.

"Consistent with how other school communities have been responding to a presumptive case, we will evaluate any possible contact of any individual with any of our school facilities and make the appropriate decision to close the facility as necessary for a thorough cleaning and sanitization prior to re‐opening," Brand wrote. "At the present time, in the absence of any other directive from any state agency, the intention is to keep our schools open for their regular operations during the school day."

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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.