Coronavirus: Plymouth Schools To Close For 2 Weeks

PLYMOUTH, MA — Plymouth Public Schools announced on Friday the closing for two weeks beginning Monday, as well as several town locations such as the Council on Aging and the Plymouth Public Library, amid the coronavirus pandemic. Effective immediately, all events have been postponed and activities associated with the Plymouth Schools have been postponed until further notice.

In a letter to the school community, Plymouth Superintendent of Schools Dr. Gary Maestas said no known positive tests for coronavirus have been received in town. Maestas said the town has decided to close the Council on Aging, Manomet Youth Center, all branches of the Plymouth Public Library, Memorial Hall, and the Harbor Master until further notice as well.

"The decision is one we take lightly," Dr. Maestas wrote. "We understand the serious implications this action has on family and staff. We do this out of an abundance of caution as our first priority is the health of our students, staff and community."

Maestas said the town will work to provide food services to students in need while school is not in session. Maestas said that while the schools realize remote learning is not the same as classroom learning at younger levels, there will be a plan put in place for those in upcoming days who want to continue to do school work and learn at home as much as possible.

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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