School Canceled In El Cerrito For 3 Weeks

EL CERRITO, CA — Parents in El Cerrito need to scramble for child care options between now and Monday.

The West Contra Costa Unified School District will close schools for three weeks beginning Monday in response to new coronavirus, the district announced Thursday.

"This was not an easy decision, but the uncertainty surrounding the outbreak has increased the confusion and anxiety in our community," WCCUSD superintendent Matthew Duffy said in a news release. "It is my hope that this closure will help arrest the spread of the disease."

The district is moving its spring break up from the week of April 6 to March 30, so classes are set to resume on April 6 pending new information about the pandemic.

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District officials said for the first two weeks of the closure, students in second through 12th grades will have laptops and tablets to continue instruction and guidance by teachers via online tools, while first grade and younger will receive packets to take home.

The district is also offering meals to students at several schools during the closure. The meals can be picked up at Pinole Valley, De Anza, Richmond and Kennedy high schools — Helms and DeJean middle schools — and Nystrom, Riverside and Montalvin elementary schools between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

The number of coronavirus cases in Contra Costa County grew to 17 on Thursday, according to county health officials.

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization announced that the new coronavirus had become a "pandemic." The pandemic declaration refers to the scope of the new coronavirus — but not its severity — and means it has become a "worldwide spread of a new disease."

As of Thursday evening, 128,343 cases had been confirmed around the world, including 1,663 in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University. The death toll in the U.S. is 40, with four in California, 31 in Washington, 2 in Florida, and one each in South Dakota, Georgia, and New Jersey. The global death toll is 4,720.

In adopting an emergency proclamation Tuesday, Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors Chair Candace Andersen, said: "The new coronavirus or COVID-19 presents our community with a challenge. While I urge you to be prepared, it is certainly not a time to panic. Following our health officials' guidelines will help prevent the spread of disease. The County and Contra Costa Health Services will continue to offer guidance and resources. Meanwhile, there is much each and everyone one of us can do to keep our families and communities well. It will take all of us working together."

— Patch editors Bea Karnes and Maggie Fusek, and Bay City News Service contributed to this story

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