Fulton Schools Make Wednesday Decision After Coronavirus Case

FULTON COUNTY, GA — Fulton County Schools will be closed for a second day on Wednesday, including all scheduled activities, after an employee tested positive for coronavirus, causing the district to close all schools.

All Fulton County schools, except for Bear Creek Middle and Woodland Middle Schools, will reopen to all students and staff on Thursday.

As of Tuesday morning, there are six presumed positive cases of the coronavirus, and 11 confirmed cases of the disease in Georgia, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.

Globally, more than 116,000 people have been infected and more than 4,200 people have died from the new coronavirus, Johns Hopkins reported Tuesday afternoon. Of that total, more than 80,000 confirmed cases are in China, while the entire United States has 805 confirmed cases as of Tuesday afternoon. There have been 28 deaths in the U.S. have been tied to the virus outbreak.

"FCS remains focused on the safety of our schools and community," the district said in a statement Tuesday. "We are working continuously with our partners, local municipalities and health departments to provide you with updates and additional information."

All Fulton County schools will be closed on Wednesday, including all scheduled activities and students and teachers will not report. However, all central office employees and school-based employees, except for Bear Creek Middle and Woodland Middle Schools, who work 210 through 235 days will report to their locations as usual on Wednesday.

"While the school system is closed during this period, crews are cleaning and disinfecting every school and administrative building in Fulton County Schools," the district said Tuesday. "All frequently-touched hard surfaces are being wiped down with a hospital-grade disinfectant that is proven to kill bacteria and viruses. School buses are also being cleaned and disinfected and going forward drivers will use specialized wipes to disinfect seats after completing each morning and afternoon run."

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The district determined that Bear Creek Middle School will be closed to students and staff until Friday, March 20, with the school reopening on Monday, March 23. Woodland Middle School will be closed to students and staff until Tuesday, March 17, with the school reopening on Wednesday, March 18.

Based upon this, Fulton Schools has also decided to cancel all international travel.

"We ask that our staff and families continue to follow the COVID-19 guidelines as shared by Georgia Department of Public Health and the CDC including monitoring you and your child’s health for fever and symptoms of respiratory illness including a runny nose, cough and/or shortness of breath," the district said. "Please call your local health provider for assistance if these symptoms occur."

Related: Interactive Map: Latest US Coronavirus Cases

Fulton Superintendent Mike Looney said during a press conference on Monday that the district is working with public health officials to determine the impact to local schools and community.

The employee, who is being treated at a local hospital, felt sick on Friday, Looney said, and had direct contact with multiple students at the two middle schools. 911 was called and the teacher was taken to a hospital. There is no information on how the teacher contracted coronavirus, Looney said.

Based on this concern, the district said it immediately dismissed affected schools on Monday: Bear Creek Middle School, Woodland Middle School and Creekside High School.

The high school was closed Monday due to its proximity to the middle schools, the shared staff members between the schools and families with students in both schools.

“This closure will allow us to clean and sanitize affected schools as well as share additional details of our ongoing plan,” officials said in a statement. “Updates regarding this concern will be shared via additional emails and the district website.”

The district said it is implementing aspects of its pandemic plan for students, employees and families as follows:

• Identification and notification of affected schools, families and employees
• School/building closures will be communicated
• Testing will be performed in coordination with the CDC and Health Department
• Safety precautions including cleaning and sanitizing

A digital learning plan will not go into effect until three consecutive days of closures, Looney said.

See more: More Potential GA Coronavirus Cases Brings Total To 17

The Georgia Department of Public Health is awaiting confirmatory testing on the four new presumptive positive tests for COVID-19 in the Georgia residents. Testing was completed Sunday at the Georgia Public Health Laboratory and the results have been submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for verification.

One person is from Fulton County, another person is from Cherokee County, and the other two individuals are from Cobb County, but they have no connection to each other. All the individuals are hospitalized, and the sources of their infections are not known, the Georgia Department of Public Health.

With the addition of these four presumptive positive cases of COVID-19, there are now 11 presumptive positives pending confirmatory testing by CDC and six confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Georgia.

The most recent confirmed cases were in Cobb, Fulton and Floyd counties, while a sixth case in Gwinnett County is presumed positive for the respiratory disease, but still awaiting confirmation.

A total of 34 Georgians and other Americans aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship currently quarantined off the coast of California due to the new coronavirus will be transferred to an airbase in Marietta, Georgia, according to Gov. Brian Kemp.

There is no evidence of community spread of coronavirus in Georgia at this time, health officials said.

Read More:

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• Coronavirus: Fulton County Schools Plan For Potential Outbreak
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