Coronavirus: Mansfield Schools Restrict Events, Field Trips

MANSFIELD, MA — While school is on as scheduled in Mansfield Public Schools this week many field trips and events will be canceled over the next few weeks amid coronavirus concerns. Mansfield Superintendent of Schools Teresa Murphy said a task force of town officials met after Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency and recommended many large and unnecessary gatherings be postponed or canceled.

The Task Force consists of: Town Manager Kevin Dumas, Assistant Town Manager Barry LaCasse, Fire Chief Justin Derosiers, Chief of Police Ron Sellon, Health Agent Amy Donovan-Palmer, Christine Dooling, Director of Health Service and Murphy. Murphy said Chief Desrosiers said that as of Wednesday there were no positive tests for coronavirus in Mansfield.

However, Murphy said out of caution she did cancel or postpone several events this week.

"It is with great disappointment that I canceled the QMS BSO field trips this week, the Jordan/Jackson COA field trip, the MHS Career Fair, the MESA Science Nights, and the Kindergarten Parent Orientation, which were scheduled for (Wednesday)," Murphy said. "In addition, the Together We Can Dance scheduled for Friday, March 13 is canceled."

She said more after school activities are likely to be postponed and canceled in the short-term, and that access to school buildings in the next few weeks will be severely restricted.

"Our mission is to provide a balance in which we provide our essential services to students, faculty and staff while trying to prevent and mitigate the spread of the virus," Murphy said. "We ask you to stay home if you are sick. If you are sick with a fever and flu-like symptoms, and come into the schools, we will ask that you go home."

(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 others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (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 your 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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