Coronavirus: Mansfield Schools To Close For 2 Weeks

MANSFIELD, MA — Mansfield Public Schools will close for two weeks beginning on Monday as a preventive measure guarding against possible spread of coronavirus in the area. While no known cases have been diagnosed in Mansfield, Superintendent of Schools Teresa May said the decision to close schools for at least two weeks was made on the recommendation of Mansfield Health officials.

Mansfield Schools are scheduled to reopen on March 27 at this time, but May said in a letter to the school community: "I will continually assess the situation and notify you of any change."

May said some of the class days will be made up in June.

"We understand that students, families, and employees will have many questions in regards to this announcement," May said on Friday. "We will be working over the next 72 hours to communicate and answer many of the questions and concerns you have. Please look for these newsletters and employees continue to check your email for additional communication."

May said the closure is a "public health safety strategy to prevent and mitigate community illness" and that she hopes to resume normal activities as soon as possible.

"These are unprecedented times and I cannot emphasize enough that this is a clinical decision and that my immediate concern is the health and safety of our students, staff and community," May said.

May asked to follow any doctor's directions to self-quarantine and contact the school's Director of Health Services Christine Dooling at Christine.dooling@mansfieldschools.com.

LIST: All school and college closings across Massachusetts.

Several school districts are closing for anywhere from weeks to a month as officials scramble to curtail the spread of the new coronavirus. Everett Public Schools was the first to announce a prolonged break, saying Thursday afternoon it would cancel class for 30 days. Arlington,
Bedford, Belmont, Burlington, Lexington and Winchester followed suit soon after, saying they were closing until March 27.

(More on the coronavirus can be found in this fact sheet from the CDC.)

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to other that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndromes (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 it and no antiviral treatment.

According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash you hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available. To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

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