Coronavirus: Middletown Schools To Excuse Absences At Gaudet

MIDDLETOWN, RI – Middletown Superintendent of Schools Rosemarie Kraeger said the large number of absences at Gaudet School Thursday will be recorded as "excused absences" after it informed parents and staff that a student was in self-quarantine. Kraeger told the school community Wednesday night that the student had not been feeling well since returning from a family trip to South America.

Kraeger said Thursday morning that the school was still waiting to hear back from the Rhode Island Department of Health on test results and that the student does not have siblings in the Middletown School System.

"We want to thank everyone for their understanding and cooperation," Kraeger said. "Please be assured that we will communicate with you often with the latest information. We will be transparent about the situation. It is also our responsibility to protect the privacy of the student and their family members. We continue to follow our cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing protocols. Our bus company is following this procedure as well."

Kraeger said Middletown Schools will continue to take all precautions and is asking students and staff to remain home if they are feeling ill.

(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 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 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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