Some Missouri schools extend spring break due to coronavirus

wireready_03-13-2020-16-24-03_00020_teacherspraying

Photo: Teresa Patton, a night custodial supervisor with the Fort Zumwalt School District, sprays a bleach disinfectant in the classrooms of Progress South Elementary in O’Fallon, Missouri, Thursday. With the introduction of the coronavirus the district purchased three additional machines to clean 2 million square feet of space inside the district’s buildings. Students are scheduled to return Monday from break. (Robert Cohen/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Some schools closed early for spring break or announced plans to extend their breaks after Missouri recorded its second case of the novel coronavirus.

The new case is a person in their early 20s who had recently traveled to Austria, Gov. Mike Parson said at a news conference Thursday. The patient was tested at a clinic in Springfield, is quarantined at home with mild symptoms and is expected to recover, Parson said.

No cases have been found of the virus spreading among the community in Missouri, he said. The World Health Organization has labelled the coronavirus a pandemic.

Missouri’s first confirmed case of COVID-19 was a St. Louis-area woman in her 20s who had been studying in Italy and tested positive for the coronavirus last week after returning home.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the WHO, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

Kansas City Public Schools decided to close on Friday, one day before the start of spring break. Most students in the district receive free and reduced-priced lunch. Ray Weikal, a KCPS spokesman, said the district has been “planning for services like food distribution, virtual learning and deep cleaning in case we cancel school after spring break,” The Kansas City Star reported.

“We know that our families depend on us for multiple services, and we commit to continuing to support our families in the event of future closures,” Weikal said.

The private Barstow School in Kansas City, canceled classes for Thursday and Friday ahead of a two-week spring break due to virus exposure concerns.

School officials said a family member of a school employee tested positive for COVID-19. School officials canceled classes as a precaution but said the infected person hasn’t visited the campus, and the related school employee has shown no symptoms. No students or other school staff were exposed.

Spokeswoman Lisa Tulp said students and staff may be able to return March 30, or “we may have to move to online.”

Several universities in the state have moved to online classes.

Parson said Missouri will receive nearly $13 million in federal emergency funding to support response efforts, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

“I want to assure you that we are taking all steps necessary to protect the health and safety of Missourians,” he said, adding that authorities are still working on how to use the money effectively to protect Missourians.

Kansas City and St. Louis have banned all public events with more than 1,000 attendees. St. Patrick’s Day parades in Kansas City, St. Louis and Springfield have been canceled.

Later Friday, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page was expected to announce an executive order on crowd restrictions and other changes to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the Department of Corrections announced Thursday that Missouri’s 20 state-run prisons will be closed to visitors for the next 30 days. Attorneys will be permitted to visit their clients. The agency said none of the estimated 26,000 inmates has been diagnosed with the virus.

WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI