Schools
Worcester Public Schools Issues COVID-19 Guidance
There were no confirmed coronavirus cases in Worcester as of Monday. But school officials have created an information resource for parents.
WORCESTER, MA — Worcester Public Schools has created an information center for parents on the new coronavirus, COVID-19. No cases have been reported in Worcester, but Superintendent Maureen Binienda did host a phone call about the virus on Sunday for parents.
Schools across the state are either preparing for local outbreaks or guarding against them. Over the weekend, students and staff at Bellingham and Newton schools who recently traveled to places where COVID-19 is active were told to stay home this week.
Worcester is directing parents to a resource page on its website. The page contains information about COVID-19 and how to guard against it.
Find out what's happening in Worcesterfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
COVID-19 first emerged in China’s Hubei province in December. The virus has spread across the globe, and there were almost 90,000 confirmed cases worldwide as of Monday morning — and just over 3,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Cases in the U.S. had been relatively low until last week, possibly due to problems with testing for the virus. But over the weekend multiple cases popped up in the Seattle area, including the first five deaths from the virus. Cases were also confirmed over the weekend in Rhode Island and New York City.
Find out what's happening in Worcesterfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The first confirmed case in Massachusetts was in a UMass Boston student who recently traveled to China. That student was recovering at home as of early February, according to state health officials.
The Centers for Disease Control last week advised U.S. residents to prepare for a possible large-scale outbreak, which could disrupt normal activity.
Read More on COVID-19 in New England
- Bellingham Students, Staff To Stay Home Over Coronavirus Concerns
- Newton North Students, Staff Who Went To Italy Told To Stay Home Amid Coronavirus Fears
- RI Coronavirus: 2nd 'Presumptive' Positive, 3rd Person Tested
- Wayland Issues Guidance On New Coronavirus
- Framingham Schools Details COVID-19 Plans
- Officials Say Fourth Granite Stater Tested For Coronavirus
- Weymouth High Staff Member Self-Quarantined: Superintendent
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