NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — School divisions in Hampton Roads are monitoring the coronavirus and taking proactive measures.
School districts in Newport News, Hampton, York County and Williamsburg-James City County are all working closely with local health departments for guidance or actions.
In Newport News, school officials are reviewing its communicable disease protocols and will update them with guidance from the Virginia Department of Health to address the coronavirus.
As the school division typically does during flu season, they are encouraging families to keep students home if they are experiencing flu-like symptoms and to see their healthcare professional if they have any health concerns.
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Below are proactive measures the division has put in place or will have in place by the end of this week to keep schools as clean as possible:
In Hampton, schools are taking several proactive measures, like upgrading disinfectants, using disposable cloths for cleaning, and using hospital-grade surface disinfectants on school buses every day.
Those hospital-grade disinfectants can also treat all "touchpoints," like door handles, tabletops, desks, light switches and keyboards.
By the end of this week, Hampton will also be utilizing electrostatic disinfectant machines in schools, which can disinfect areas more efficiently with 360-degree coverage so that when you spray one side of an object or surface, the cleaning power extends all the way around it.
They're also ensuring that all restrooms have antimicrobial soap and posting additional hand-washing signs around the school.
In addition, HCS is proactively finalizing a division-wide instructional plan (i.e., who will deliver lessons, when will lessons be delivered, how lessons will be available, how students will be assessed) if the need to close a school or schools were to occur.
At Williamsburg-James City County schools, custodial teams are cleaning and disinfecting hard surfaces in each school and staff is reviewing existing pandemic protocols and revising as necessary.
Staffers are reviewing existing pandemic protocols and revising, as necessary, based on guidance from the health department. Their goal is to keep schools open and continue to deliver instruction. As the situation evolves, if it becomes necessary to close schools, that decision will be made in collaboration with health department officials.
The York County school division created a collaboration team to work closely with the Virginia Health Department and county leaders to respond to any specific guidance received by local or national health officials.
The division has pandemic plans in place that are reviewed and updated annually. The staff also works closely with the Virginia Health Department (VDH) and local agencies to prepare for, and minimize, the potential spread of the virus.
A coronavirus is typically spread through coughing or sneezing, much like the flu and other respiratory viruses. Symptoms are thought to appear within two to 14 days after exposure and consist of fever, cough, and difficulty breathing.
YCSD will continue to follow CDC recommendations to prevent any infection of a respiratory virus, which includes:
- Washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
- Avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
- Avoiding close contact with people who are sick
- Staying home when sick
- Coughing or sneezing into an elbow or using tissue and place immediately in the trash
- Cleaning and disinfecting frequently-touched objects and surfaces.
It’s not just the schools staying prepared. Hampton city leaders formed a special task group to prepare in the event the disease reaches our area.
City, school and public health officials are meeting regularly to monitor the spread of the disease and to prepare.
Last week, the four Newport News students self-monitoring at home after a family trip to China returned to schools at Warwick, Woodside and Denbigh.
Brittany Wyatt's daughter goes to Kiln Creek Elementary in Newport News. Wyatt said six of her daughter's classmates were out Monday.
Her daughter's teacher sent an email to parents asking anyone to bring in Clorox wipes or Lysol spray.
“It seems like we always use fear to do the things we're supposed to do in the first place,” Wyatt said. “People want to vote because of fear of the country being the way it is, so it takes fear for us to wash our hands more and use the correct soap and send letters to parents.”
Wyatt said her coffee business, Column 15, is also focused on its own health and safety plans.
“We're following the standard health practice so the PTAs that partner with us come back,” Wyatt said. “It makes you a little nervous, but it's also like I won't listen to fears, you just got to be extra careful.”