Germantown Academy Closes School Over Coronavirus Concerns

FORT WASHINGTON, PA -- Germantown Academy will be closed through Wednesday this week due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak in Montgomery County.

A student in the school is related to one of the five individuals that have been diagnosed with a presumptive case of the virus, according to a letter sent home to parents.

The student is not suffering any symptoms, and the decision to close the school seems to have been made out of an abundance of caution. The student is self-quarantining for two weeks.

>>5th Montco Coronavirus Case, Person Critical: Officials

Of the five cases, two are in Lower Merion, one is in Lower Gwynedd, and one is in Worcester. The fifth case involved a King of Prussia cardiologist at a Montgomery County branch of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

The are now 10 confirmed cases in all of Pennsylvania.

Several other local school districts, including Wissahickon and Methacton, issued statements clarifying that there was no connection between these cases and their respective school communities.

Germantown Academy will undergo a deep cleaning, and campus will remain closed until Tuesday, March 17. Classes will be held online from this Thursday through next Tuesday, the school said.

>>Montgomery County Launches New Coronavirus Website

The precaution is similar to that taken by the Central Bucks School District, which closed five of its schools last week for a deep cleaning when they discovered students were exposed to coronavirus while attending a gathering with an individual who turned out to have the virus.

>>Central Bucks Provides Update On Coronavirus Exposure

There are now seven confirmed coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania, with five of them in Montgomery County.

All of these positives are presently 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.