Lower Gwynedd Coronavirus Does Not Impact Wissahickon: Officials

LOWER GWYNEDD, PA — The case of coronavirus in Lower Gwynedd does not have any impact upon the Wissahickon School District, officials said on Sunday.

"No Wissahickon School District families are involved, and there is NO risk to any Wissahickon students or staff on school buses or in schools at this time," Superintendent James Crisfield said. "We will continue to monitor the situation very carefully and share any additional information we get as soon as possible."

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As of early Monday there were six presumptive coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania, with four of them in Montgomery County. Two of the Montgomery County cases were announced Saturday, and two on Sunday. Of the two cases Saturday, one was an adult woman in Worcester, and one an adult woman in Lower Gwynedd. The Sunday cases involved a man and a woman who lived together in Lower Merion.

All of the Montgomery County cases did not require hospitalization, and the impacted individuals are currently in isolation at home.

Methacton School District added that the Worcester case, similarly, had no connection to any local schools.

"I have been informed that there is no association among the identified individuals and the Methacton School District, its schools, our staff, or our students," Superintendent David Zerbe said. "All schools will operate as normal."

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Officials are working to trace the recent movements of the individuals in order to identify anyone else who they may have come into contact with. Valerie A. Arkoosh, Chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, said Sunday that the county had notified all public locations where they knew infected individuals had been.

"Any place where they went has been notified that they were there," Arkoosh said. "And there could be a possible exposure there. There are a number of cleaning procedures that are gone over."

She added that the county has been preparing for the spread of the virus, which was expected. She urged residents to follow CDC prevention guidelines, and, if you have any symptoms, to stay home and call your healthcare provider.

All of the individuals infected tested presumptive positive after exposure while traveling in a part of the United States where the virus is present. Officials did not specify where exactly they had traveled to.

The positives are considered "presumptive cases," which means the state has identified COVID-19 but is waiting on more tests from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There are more than 500 cases in the United States and 110,000 worldwide. The virus has accounted for 3,800 deaths globally.