GREENSBORO, N.C. — As the public is learning about the first North Carolina coronavirus case in Wake County, Triad school officials are not leaving anything to chance.
Leaders of 10 of the state's largest school districts met with state health officials here in Guilford County to discuss preparations.
The meeting which lasted for hours was aimed at information-sharing and gathering of ideas.
Guilford County Schools has been working with health and emergency management officials to prepare for the possibility that the novel (or new) coronavirus, also known at COVID-19, would affect our local community.
Information is being shared with parents on symptoms of the virus, what the district is doing to reduce the spread of the flu and other respiratory illnesses and how parents and students can protect themselves.
The district has provided more information on their web page, including links to the latest updates from state and federal officials.
The district is also emphasizing responsible and improved personal hygiene and health safety practices to stay healthy and help keep others from becoming ill.
District officials shared the following public health guidelines they urge parents and students to follow;
• If your child is not well, keep him or her home.
• Cover coughs and sneezes with tissues, or cough or sneeze into your inner elbow.
• Wash your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds with soap and water. If not available, use alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Be sure to wash your hands after you cough, sneeze, use the bathroom or handle food.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces, including doorknobs, phones, keyboards, and light switches.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Another group of Winston-Salem Forsyth County School leaders also held additional meetings at their main office in Winston-Salem to plan and coordinate their response and preparedness.
Rockingham County Schools
Officials with Rockingham County schools sent an additional message to parents Tuesday which is posted to their website. Officials also met on Monday to discuss the ongoing health concern.
"RCS staff is working to keep students and employees as safe as possible through prevention measures. This includes encouraging the steps to help stop the spread of germs, sharing the latest medical updates with school nurses and adhering to daily emails from national and local health departments," read the statement.
According to the spokesperson, Karen Hyler, the district also sent out the following CDC cleaning guidelines to administrators to share with custodians to perform routine environmental cleaning:
• Routinely clean all frequently touched surfaces in the workplace, such as workstations, countertops, and doorknobs.
• Use the cleaning agents that are usually used in these areas and follow the directions on the label.
• No additional disinfection beyond routine cleaning is recommended at this time.
• Provide disposable wipes so that commonly used surfaces (for example, doorknobs, keyboards, remote controls, desks) can be wiped down by employees before each use.
The statement also included steps health officials advise to take to prevent the spread germs that cause the common cold and flu, which will also help prevent Coronavirus.
1. Avoid close contact.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.
2. Stay home when you are sick.
When experiencing symptoms, stay home from work, school, and errands. This will help prevent spreading your illness to others.
3. Cover your mouth and nose.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. Flu and other serious respiratory illnesses, like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), whooping cough, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), are spread by cough, sneezing, or unclean hands.
4. Clean your hands.
Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives
Tips on hand washing and using alcohol-based hand sanitizers
It’s a SNAP Toolkit: Handwashing
Hand washing resources from the "It’s A SNAP" program, aimed at preventing school absenteeism by promoting clean hands. From the School Network for Absenteeism Prevention, a collaborative project of the CDC, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the American Cleaning Institute.
5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
6. Practice other good health habits.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home, work or school, especially when someone is ill. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.
The North Carolina Division of Public Health has established a call line at 1-866-462-3821 to address general questions about Coronavirus.
FACTS NOT FEAR
Remember facts, not fear when talking about the coronavirus. You should take the same measures recommended by health leaders to prevent the spread of the flu and other viruses. That means washing your hands, avoiding touching your face, and covering coughs and sneezes.
WHERE YOU GET INFORMATION ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS IS IMPORTANT
It is important to make sure the information you are getting about the coronavirus is coming directly from reliable sources like the CDC and NCDHHS. Be careful not to spread misinformation about coronavirus on social media.
NC CORONAVIRUS HOTLINE
The state also has a special hotline set up where you can call 866-462-3821 for more information on the coronavirus. You can also submit questions online at ncpoisoncontrol.org or select chat to talk with someone about the virus.
You can also text keyword VIRUS to WFMY News 2 at 336-379-5775 to find out more information.
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