Woburn Cancels Field Trips, One Student In Quarantine

WOBURN, MA — A Woburn student is in self-quarantine due to close contact with a presumed positive case of the new coronavirus. The Shamrock Elementary student was in contact with the person six days ago and has no symptoms, Superintendent Matthew Crowley said in a letter to families. The student dismissed and asked to self-quarantine for 14 days after the city was notified Tuesday afternoon.

Crowley also announced that all field trips are cancelled, but schools will be open Wednesday.

A "presumed positive" case is a positive state test that the Centers for Disease Control haven't confirmed. Gov. Charlie Baker announced Tuesday afternoon that there are now 92 cases of the new coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, in the state. Baker declared a state of emergency.

"We have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Woburn Public Schools," Crowley underscored in his letter.

The district is monitoring the situation, Crowley said.

"Our School Facilities Department is continuing their vigilance sanitizing our educational spaces, including with crews using cleaning sprays and electrostatic machines, which are particularly effective at mitigating infections and viruses, with special attention to commonly touched surfaces and objects," he wrote. "Additionally, we have authorized our Facilities Department to work overtime this weekend."

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.