Districts take precautions against coronavirus

Northern Lehigh School District continues to take precautions against the coronavirus.

Superintendent Matthew J. Link discussed the district’s Coronavirus Action Plan at Monday’s school board meeting.

“There are no confirmed or suspected cases, and as of today, we have no knowledge of our students and staff being exposed to the virus,” Link said.

Link said the district will continue to follow guidance from the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick. The symptoms, which can appear 2-14 days after exposure include fever, cough and shortness of breath.

Children should be kept home when they are sick. • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

• Follow CDC’s recommendations for using a face mask: The CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a face mask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including COVID-19; and face masks should be used by people who show symptoms of COVID-19 to help prevent the spread of the disease to others. The use of face masks is also crucial for health workers and people who are taking care of someone in close settings (at home or in a health care facility).

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.

• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.

Link said the district has increased the cleaning of high-touch areas; has posted literature around all the buildings on how to prevent the spread of any virus; installed additional hand cleaning stations in each building; the technology department disinfects keyboards of all desktop keyboards daily; has reviewed and updated its Pandemic Illness Response Protocol Check-List; and has had ongoing communication with other school districts in the Lehigh Valley.

“We continue to monitor this daily,” he said.

Dr. Alan Lonoconus, Palmerton Area School District interim superintendent, said while the district does not have any confirmed case of the coronavirus, the CDC and World Health Organization have asked schools to prepare for the spread of the virus.

“We will continue to monitor PA Department of Health and CDC updates and recommendations,” he said. “Currently, there is no recommendation to close schools.”

Jarrad Hedes contributed to this report.