Waltham Public Schools To Close For 2 Weeks

WALTHAM, MA — Waltham schools will be closed Friday through March 27, according to the superintendent's office.

The closure follows Newton which just canceled school until the end of next week. Arlington, Bedford, Belmont, Burlington, Lexington, Wellesley and Winchester school districts all also announced plans today to close tomorrow Friday, March 13 until at least until March 27 in an effort to mitigate the spread of the new coronavirus called COVID-19.

The high school announced Thursday that SAT testing would be canceled this weekend.

The city also announced it would be closing the senior center until the end of April.

Read more>> Coronavirus Concern: Waltham's Senior Center Closed Until May

On March 10, the same day Boston cancelled the St. Patrick's Day parade, Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency. Then, on March 11, the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic. The pandemic declaration refers to the scope of the new coronavirus — but not its severity — and means it has become a "worldwide spread of a new disease.”

As of this week there were 92 cases of coronavirus in Massachusetts, including 41 in Middlesex County. >> Person Exposed To Coronavirus Told To Self Quarantine: Waltham.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. 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.

The full letter sent out Friday morning from Interim Superintendent George Frost: