Coronavirus US: Potential Exposure Prompts Closure Of Pennsylvania County Schools

Multiple schools across the Central Bucks School District in Pennsylvania were forced to shut down on Friday following an alert regarding a potential case of coronavirus exposure in the community.

According to FOX affiliate WTXF-TV, the school district was alerted late Thursday evening that several Bucks County staff and students in five schools may have been exposed to the COVID-19 virus.

In a bid to prevent further spreading in case any of those potentially exposed have contracted the virus, the following schools were temporarily shut down: Central Bucks South High School, Titus Elementary School, Tohickon Middle School, Tamanend Middle School and Butler Elementary School.

The exposure reportedly took place at a private gathering where one of the attendees from outside Philadelphia tested positive of the novel coronavirus after the event.

Local health authorities said people who were present at the event will be required to undergo a two-week quarantine to ensure that they did not contract the disease. On the other hand, those who start showing symptoms will immediately be tested.

Neighboring state New Jersey has also urged schools to establish a plan for sudden school closure should the state experience a COVID-19 outbreak. As of Thursday, the state recorded two coronavirus cases.

A UNESCO report released on Wednesday revealed that the coronavirus outbreak triggered a widespread closure of schools, leaving almost 300 million students in limbo regarding when their classes will resume.

UNESCO director-general Audrey Azoulay said in a statement that the disruption brought about by health emergencies is not new. Similar incidents have happened over the past decades.

However, Azoulay noted that if the current coronavirus crisis continues to shutter schools in the United States and around the world, it could “threaten the right to education.”

Aside from Pennsylvania, other U.S. states have also decided to suspend classes ever since new cases in the country were reported including Washington, Los Angeles and New York.

Meanwhile, some American cities are resisting the talks about the closure of schools. Some city officials argued that the closure of educational facilities may lead to greater consequences on education in the near future.

Seattle is one of the worst-hit areas in the U.S. but some health authorities in the area are considering whether it is the best move to suspend classes, considering that the novel coronavirus has not impacted a lot of children, Reuters reported.

Some health officials noted that it may be reasonable to continue classes so staff and teachers can also keep teaching children. On the other hand, some schools in Seattle have already closed doors, including Northshore School District.