Health & Fitness
Worcester Coronavirus: Schools Closing, 3 Being Tested For Virus
Worcester's emergency operations center is being opened to handle the growing coronavirus outbreak.
WORCESTER, MA — At a wide-ranging press conference on Thursday, Worcester city officials announced a variety of updates related to the growing new coronavirus outbreak in the area.
At the top, all Worcester schools will be closed on Friday for a cleaning because three people associated with two separate schools are being tested for COVID-19. However, Health and Human Services Commissioner Matilde Castiel said that there are still no confirmed COVID-19 cases in the city.
City Manager Edward Augustus said he has activated the city's emergency center to deal with the outbreak, and the city has closed the senior center until further notice. All city-sponsored events with 50 or more people are canceled. Required City Hall meetings will continue under new health safety protocols, he said.
The three people being tested for COVID-19 have ties to North High School and Chandler Magnet School, Augustus said. The three people had contact with someone who had tested positive for COVID-19. Their test results are due back this weekend.
Worcester also pushed a larger message to city residents: take all the steps you can to protect yourself from COVID-19. That includes using proper hygiene, using social distancing if necessary, and staying home if you feel sick. Anyone with questions should call the city's coronavirus hotline at 508-799-1019.
"We all need to work together to mitigate the spread of the virus, and we have to act now," Mayor Joseph Petty said at the beginning of the meeting.
But Worcester Medical Director Dr. Michael Hirsch tried to strike a different tone, explaining the basics of COVID-19 while trying to reassure the public.
"I would urge everyone to stay calm about it," he said. "I think the worst thing we could do is to have people start to wonder if they're safe to go anywhere."
Hirsch said about 30 people are known to be in self-quarantine in the city right now.
SEE: Interactive Map Of How Coronavirus Is Impacting Worcester
Worcester Superintendent of Schools Maureen Binienda said during the press conference that she plans on holding classes on Monday. However, districts around the state are announcing extended closures.
Some Worcester students are also upset at the district's response. One student contacted Patch about an online petition he started to urge Binienda to do something about the cleanliness of schools.
The social repercussions of COVID-19 have been hitting the city all week. The Worcester County St. Patrick's Day parade was canceled on Tuesday. A 10th anniversary party at Wormtown Brewery was also canceled.
On Wednesday, Worcester Polytechnic and Holy Cross both announced that the spring semester would continue online, and students would need to move off-campus soon. Worcester State extended its spring break by a week, and all UMass campuses, including the medical school, have gone online.
Assumption College has also extended spring break until at least March 29. Clark University has ended in-person classes, and will begin online learning the week of March 23. Clark students are being asked to leave campus by March 22.
