The Menlo School in Atherton just announced that all classes, athletic events, and field trips are cancelled through this weekend after a school staff member revealed that they came in contact with a relative who had tested positive for the coronavirus.
The school said in a statement, per KRON4, that it was working with the CDC and the San Mateo County Department of Health, and it would be hiring a cleaning service to "deep clean the entire campus" after the revelation of a possible coronavirus contact by a staff member.
A similar thing happened earlier this week with The Healdsburg School, which closed Monday after the community found out that a parent had potentially been exposed to a confirmed coronavirus patient. As NBC Bay Area reports, the school reopened Tuesday based on the "protocols and recommendations" of Sonoma County health officials.
Other schools are likely to follow as panic over the virus takes hold — and as 11 cases have been confirmed in Santa Clara County, with others beginning to appear elsewhere in the Bay Area.
Dr. Sara Cody, the health officer for Santa Clara County, said during a Friday press conference, "Schools should plan for absenteeism and explore options for learning at home."
As ABC 7 reports, the Saklan School in Moraga is also planning for possibly closing the school, and using technology to plan for live online classes. And schools around the country are bracing for extended closures as the virus spreads and panic heightens, per USA Today. The CDC is recommending that schools talk with their local health officials before canceling classes if virus cases appear in the local area.
Photo: MenloSchool/Twitter