UPDATED Westfield Schools To Close Early March 18 For Coronavirus

WESTFIELD, NJ — As other school districts around the state have started to do, the Westfield schools announced Wednesday that they will close early one day next week to prepare for possible shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

[UPDATE: The district posted a letter on March 12 saying some have asked if they will close earlier, in light of nearby districts closing sooner for several weeks. The district's response is here.]

The purpose of the closure — scheduled for March 18 — is, according to a letter from Superintendent of Schools Margaret Dolan, to allow the staff to prepare for possible virtual instruction.

In addition, the custodians will use the time to provide a "higher level of cleaning."

The announcement, along with specific closing times for each school, is posted here.

On Wednesday afternoon, state officials announced that there have been a total of 23 documented cases of the virus in New Jersey, and one person has died.

The numbers can be tracked in New Jersey via this link.

And you can use this link to read about other New Jersey school closures.

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.

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