Maplewood And South Orange Schools Post Update About Coronavirus

MAPLEWOOD AND SOUTH ORANGE — Now that a new version of the coronavirus has killed more than 600 people in China, the Maplewood-South Orange school district posted a special edition of its newsletter on its webpage Friday, addressing how they are handling the situation.

Meanwhile, U.S. authorities have been reminding people to be mindful of the deadly effects of the flu as well, with the CDC saying it has killed more than 12,000 people in the U.S. this year. (Just this week, a family filed a lawsuit against doctors who sent their 6-year-old daughter home from a New Jersey hospital with the flu in 2018, only for her to pass away 12 hours later.)

The letter on the district webpage notes, "With rising concern over the new coronavirus outbreak that is currently centered in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, the South Orange & Maplewood School District continues to carefully monitor the situation and heed guidance that has been provided by the New Jersey Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and the NJ Department of Education."

It adds, "Although this virus is understandably a cause for concern, it is important for New Jersey residents to know that the risk to the general public still remains low.

"For our district, if a student has recently traveled to Wuhan, China (within the past two weeks) or has been in close contact with others who recently traveled to Wuhan, China, our District physician is recommending that the student stay home for two weeks before returning to school. Therefore, if any student returns from China, their parent/guardian should call their health care provider (even if symptoms do not currently exist) for a consult and then contact their school nurse.

"If a student/parent and/or guardian has symptoms, they should call a healthcare provider immediately and inform them of the close contact with the coronavirus before going into a healthcare provider's office."

The page then provides several links to update information, as well as advice on how to protect oneself. For the rest of the letter, click here.