Coronavirus: School Districts To Close In Marin County

MARIN COUNTY, CA — All public school districts in Marin County will be closed beginning Monday, March 16, to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. All school campuses will cancel classes for at least two weeks, according to the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services and Marin County Office of Education.

"The landscape related to the COVID-19 virus is rapidly changing, especially in the Bay Area," said Dr. Matthew Willis, the county's public health officer. "This is one part of a series of steps we're taking to support social distancing, to better protect the community at large."

The County Office of Education is working with local districts, schools and community organizations to support students who rely on schools for subsidized meals, special care and other resources. Families will receive information from respective schools related to these needs and opportunities for students to continue learning from home.

"Recognizing the challenges that a school closure poses for many families in our community, we are making this decision with a heavy heart but for the greater good," said Mary Jane Burke, Marin County superintendent of schools.

"Our priority is always the safety and well-being of our students. For the past month, our schools have received constant guidance from Public Health officials and remained aligned with their professional opinions. Given this unprecedented situation around the globe, we are acting in step with Marin Public Health and out of concern for all members of our community."

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As of Thursday, there were three confirmed cases of coronavirus in Marin County and no cases from local transmission.

The first positive case was a passenger who went on a cruise in February to Mexico, and the other two positive cases are people who lived with the passenger, according to the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services.

The Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday opened a drive through COVID-19 field testing center at an undisclosed location in the county.

The testing center is a collaboration between Marin Public Health and local hospitals and physicians. It was inspired by similar testing models in South Korea and was created to support clinicians and physicians.
When a medical provider determines a patient needs testing, they send the patient to the drive-through testing site. The patient will be tested by a nurse without leaving their vehicle.

Patch editor Kristina Houck and Bay City News Service contributed to this report.