Brookline Coronavirus Response Includes Updates, Hand Washing

BROOKLINE, MA — Brookline Public Schools will respond to coronavirus concerns by reminding students and staff to wash their hands regularly and standing ready to recognize signs of the illness and handle it, Interim Superintendent Ben Lummis said in his third letter home to families to update them on COVID-19, or coronavirus as State officials announced a second possible case in the commonwealth.

"We are encouraging teachers to allow students time to wash their hands during the school day. We are working to ensure that there is a sufficient supply of cleaners, hand sanitizer, hand soap, and paper towels for use in our schools," he wrote.

Lummis said should coronavirus become prevalent in the community, the department of health is at the ready and have trained school nurses to recognize the signs and symptoms, and the risk categories related to travel history, exposure and symptoms.

"They are knowledgeable in infection prevention and control protocols, and have appropriate personal protective equipment. They are trained to provide proper care for any individual who presents with possible symptoms of COVID-19," he said.

Lummis also took a moment to address fallout for community members of Asian descent.

"We are being proactive to ensure that students, families, and educators of Asian ethnicity are not being stigmatized, discriminated against, or treated with prejudice as a result of widely circulating misinformation about COVID-19 in public media and social media," he said.

Lummis' note also stressed that his department has reminded staff if they have any fever or symptoms of illness they should stay home.

"The immediate risk to Brookline residents from COVID-19 remains low. The town and schools of Brookline are taking all possible measures to ensure that we are prepared and ready for any impact that COVID-19 may have on our community," he wrote.

As of Tuesday morning, there had only been one confirmed case of coronavirus in Massachusetts since the strain, known as COVID-19, was first identified in Wuhan, China in December. Late Monday night State officials announced a possible second case.

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.

Brookline's Education Department sent three letters home to families to update them on coronavirus; one on Jan. 28, another on Feb. 5 and one more on Feb. 27.

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).