IL Coronavirus: Kane County Schools Follow Health Department Tips

KANE COUNTY, IL — Several local school districts are following recommendations from the Kane County Health Department and the Illinois Department of Public Health about how students, staff and community members can protect themselves from the new coronavirus. On Monday, Batavia Public School District 101 said they received a video from the Kane County Health Department. According to the school district, the video answers a lot of questions about coronavirus, or COVID-19 in a "straightforward way."

Geneva Community Unit School District 304 shared an update published Friday from the IDPH for schools throughout the state.

Health officials said the school district "will closely monitor recommendations regarding coronavirus and will continue to follow their guidance."

According to IDPH, at this time the health risk to the general public from COVID-19 remains low.

"Currently, the IDPH recommends schools hold classes and events as usual, and follow routine cleaning and disinfecting procedures; no special measures are necessary," IDPH said, in a news release. The IDPH also said the best way to protect against COVID-19 is by taking the same everyday precautions against getting sick in general, and recommends:

• Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.
• Staying home when you are sick.
• Covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

On Monday, East Aurora School District 131 sent a release to staff, students and their families also sharing the information provided most recently by the IDPH, stating in part that the "health and safety of our students is our top priority."

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The City of St. Charles is also updating residents on messages from the county and state health departments, and urges residents to also stay home from work or school if they have influenza A or B, as the KCHD reports a spike in both.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 it and no antiviral treatment.

According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.

To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

>> Coronavirus Outbreak: Tips To Prepare At Home