Coronavirus In Woburn: Schools To Close 2 Weeks, Half-Day Friday

WOBURN, MA — Woburn Public Schools will close for two weeks, the district announced Thursday evening. The district collaborated with six other area districts to have unified closures, Superintendent Matthew Crowley said in a letter to the community. The schools will dismiss students early Friday ahead of the two week hiatus.

The early releases will be at the following times:

High School: 11:30
Middle Schools: 12:00
Elementary Schools: 12:30

The closure is currently scheduled to be March 16 through March 27.

"Please be aware that this closure may be extended or shortened should state authorities provide such directives," Crowley said.

"We also do not do this lightly, as we know that this will impose a hardship on families who do not have childcare options," Crowley said. "We also understand that we have families who are food insecure. We are working with the City of Woburn and our food service providers to offer options for these families."

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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.