No Coronavirus In Livingston; Town, Schools Staying Vigilant

LIVINGSTON, NJ — Officials in Livingston are taking steps to safeguard residents in the wake of the novel coronavirus dubbed COVID-19.

The coronavirus outbreak has reportedly infected more than 600 and killed at least 22 people in the U.S. As of Monday afternoon, there have been 11 cases identified in New Jersey, none of which have been fatal, officials say.

State health officials have maintained that most New Jersey residents are at "very low risk" of contracting COVID-19.

• See related article: NJ Coronavirus Cases Nearly Double: 11 Confirmed
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According to a Friday message from the Livingston Public School District, there have been no confirmed coronavirus cases in local schools or in the community of Livingston.

School administrators are taking precautionary steps to protect students, staff and their families, Superintendent Matthew Block said.

Block offered the following update for local parents and guardians on March 6:

"Last night, the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) informed all New Jersey school districts that (for the first time) they would allow schools to utilize online learning to satisfy the 180-school-day requirement in the event that schools were ordered closed for an extended period of time by the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH). This would only go into effect in extenuating circumstances, and (again) ONLY if we were ordered to close by the NJDOH for the purpose of slowing the spread of the virus. We have no reason whatsoever to believe any NJDOH closures are imminent in Livingston.

"Although we hope we are never ordered to close, being prepared just in case is important. Consequently, we are planning a change to our calendar, for this coming week, to allow us to provide an essential professional development program to Livingston’s educators.

"A delayed opening for a Professional Development program was already planned for this coming Tuesday, March 10, 2020. In order to provide our staff with enough time to receive comprehensive training in remote instruction, we have decided to extend the scheduled delayed opening to a full day Professional Development Day for Staff and a school closure for students. School will be closed that day for students. We are utilizing one of our two remaining snow days to allow this to occur. As such, the day will not need to be made up at a later time.

"We do not change the school calendar lightly, and we understand that a last minute change like this one can cause real logistical challenges for our families. Under unprecedented circumstances, we simply want to be as prepared as possible, as quickly as possible. We believe that the sooner we can familiarize Livingston’s educators with these tools, the better.

"I want to absolutely reassure our community that we are NOT closing school on Tuesday for ANY OTHER REASON other than to allow for this important and timely professional development program, so that we can be fully prepared IF the NJDOH decides to close schools for an extended period of time. The change in the day is in no way motivated by concerns about the health of our schools. We have no health-related incidents that would cause us to close. We simply believe that, in the event we are told to close in the future, we need to be ready to deliver the best education possible to our students under those circumstances.

"Thank you for your continued patience and flexibility as we navigate this together."

• See related article: $8B To Fight Coronavirus: NJ Lawmakers Back Huge Spending Bill

LIVINGSTON TOWNSHIP

Meanwhile, the Livingston Township Health Department has been "actively monitoring" the evolving situation involving COVID-19 in New Jersey, officials said.

"We are also reviewing and sharing the guidance that is being provided by the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH), World Health Organization (WHO), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)," Livingston municipal officials stated on Monday.

• Read the township's full message.

WHAT IS COVID-19?

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.

The CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a face mask to protect themselves from respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19. You should only wear a mask if a health care professional recommends it. A face mask should be used by people who have COVID-19 and are showing symptoms. This is to protect others from the risk of getting infected. The use of face masks also is crucial for health workers and other people who are taking care of someone infected with COVID-19 in close settings (at home or in a health care facility).

Residents who have questions about the virus can contact the State of New Jersey's hotline at 1 (800) 222-1222. The hotline is home of the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System, and is staffed 24 hours a day by state health workers.

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