Wilmington Coronavirus: Free School Meals, Registration Delays

WILMINGTON, MA — Free school meals will be available for all students starting Friday, Wilmington Public Schools announced. Bagged breakfasts and lunches will be available Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the ongoing school closure. Pickup will be at Wilmington HIgh School's Events Entrance, off Adams Street, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

"We ask you pull your vehicle up to the curb and pop your car trunk or hatch," the district said. "We will gladly place the meals inside your vehicle. Please email any questions to Mary Palen, Administrator of Food Services at mary.palen@wpsk12.com."

The district is also working on "recommendations for voluntary enrichment activities," according to the announcement. Families that have items they must pick up should contact their child's principal to make arrangement, or Doreen Crowe at doreen.crowe@wpsk12.com regarding medical needs.

The preschool lottery has been postponed as part of the closure.

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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