Coronavirus Update: 2 San Francisco Elementary Schools Closed; 11 Students Suffering From Severe Respiratory Illness
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- While saying they have no confirmed coronavirus cases yet among their students, San Francisco officials have ordered the immediate closure of two elementary schools after 11 students have come down with severe respiratory conditions including pneumonia-like symptoms.
Both Lakeshore Elementary and Glen Park Elementary School have been closed ahead of the three-week coronavirus shutdown of the entire San Francisco public school system.
Lakeshore happens to be right next to Lowell High School, which reopened Wednesday after a multi-day closure started last Friday, when it was determined that the parent of a student was one of the first two patients in San Francisco diagnosed with the coronavirus.
SFUSD announced that it was immediately closing Lakeshore on Wednesday night after learning from the Dept. of Public Health that four students from the school and some of their family members were reporting severe respiratory illness.
School Board President Mark Sanchez characterized those ill students at a Thursday news conference as having pneumonia-like symptoms likely the result of the coronavirus.
On Thursday night, district officials announced they were immediately closing Glen Park Elementary School after public health officials told them that 7 students were suffering from respiratory illness and were being tested for COVID-19.
Staffs and students families at both schools were asked to self quarantine and report any medical conditions to their personal physicians or the city's public health department.
In the wake of the growing number of confirmed coronavirus cases in San Francisco, School Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews announced on Thursday that all the city's public schools would shutdown for three weeks. He said officials were "taking the time to prepare their school communities in the likelihood of a prolonged COVID-19 epidemic."
Matthews said the break would begin on March 16 and run through April 6th. Spring break for the district was already scheduled to start on March 30.
COMPLETE COVERAGE: CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK
"This is not business as usual," he said. "It is likely we will see many more COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks and months. This is will require a measured, sustained response."
According to Matthews, during the break, teachers and administrators will receive training "on how to run schools during this epidemic." The training will include practicing more universal precautions and increasing social isolation practices.
"An informed community, is a safer community," he said.
Among those pushing for the closure were teacher and staff unions, along with some elected officials at San Francisco's City Hall.
"If there was somebody who was affected by the virus, it could spread very quickly in a school," said District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney. "So let's take a couple weeks where we don't have school, and figure out what we need to do next."
During the extended break all school campuses will be close and thoroughly cleaned, kid care programs shut down and any other student-related activities will be cancelled.
Matthews had forewarned parents that such a drastic step may be coming after the district closed Lakeshore Elementary School. He called the decision to close the schools a change in strategy.
"We have been in a reactive mode -- the school by school closures are reactive," he said. "We, the board, the staff determined to become preemptive. We know we need time to prepare for this new world that we are in right now."
