East Greenwich School Closed Over Coronavirus Concerns

EAST GREENWICH, RI — Meadowbrook Farms School in East Greenwich was closed Tuesday when a sibling of one of the elementary school's students developed a fever and cough after that family recently traveled abroad. Superintendent of Schools Frank Pallotta sent a letter to parents informing them that the school was closed "out of an abundance of caution" and that no students or staff were being investigated for coronavirus at this time.

Pallotta said the family, which recently traveled abroad, informed the school principal early Tuesday morning that one of their children woke up with the fever and cough. The sick student does not attend East Greenwich Public Schools, but a sibling is a student at Meadowbrook Farms. Pallotta said that student is not showing any symptoms of illness.

Pallotta said the state Department of Health was contacted and the school is being

The Rhode Island Department of Health on Sunday confirmed the state's first two likely cases of coronavirus and said a third person was being tested for the virus. The three people went on a school trip to Europe last month organized by St. Raphael's Academy, which is closed this week. There was another "presumptive positive" test in Norfolk County in Massachusetts on Monday after Cohasset Public Schools reported a woman in town with a connection to the St. Raphael's Academy trip self-quarantined herself.

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.

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

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.

Coronavirus in Rhode Island and beyond

RI Coronavirus: 2nd 'Presumptive' Positive, 3rd Person Tested

'Presumptive' Coronavirus Case In Norfolk County

New Hampshire's First Coronavirus Case Reported In Grafton County

Coronavirus Disruptions For Students In Massachusetts

Coronavirus In Rhode Island: What To Know