Wake schools no longer say that only people with symptoms can spread coronavirus
North Carolina’s largest school system is no longer telling families that people who have COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, are only contagious if they’re showing symptoms of the illness.
The Wake County school system emailed families on Thursday night with a coronavirus update that “if someone is not showing signs of illness, they are not contagious and do not pose a risk to others.” By Friday night, the school system had updated its website to say the risk of transmission was low but not zero.
“While the scientific community still believes there is a very low likelihood of contracting COVID-19 from an asymptomatic person, we cannot say that there is a zero chance of transmission,” Wake posted Friday night.
“However, we can say with certainty that if you are known to be at risk of exposure to COVID-19, a member of the Wake County Public Health Division will contact you directly. Everyone is encouraged to take basic precautions to include washing your hands, covering your cough, and staying home from school or work if you feel sick. If you believe you have been exposed to COVID-19, please contact your healthcare provider.”
Lisa Luten, a school district spokeswoman, said the information was updated to reflect the latest guidance from the Wake County Public Health Division. Luten said the prior guidance that people are only contagious if they’re showing symptoms also came from state and county health officials.
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Wake schools to give superintendent emergency authority
As the situation develops, the Wake County school board is scheduled to vote Tuesday on giving Superintendent Cathy Moore authority “to take any lawful action and to temporarily waive Board policies as necessary in response to potential risks associated with the coronavirus.”
Luten said the authority was recommended by the board’s attorney and is being left deliberately vague to give Moore flexibility to respond.
Wake’s original coronavirus guidance caused some parents to complain that it contradicted what was being said by other health officials, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Kerry Steinke, a Wake parent, said she’s glad that the district updated its information. But she said that the district should have emailed the update just like it had the previous information.
“While I don’t think they should start a panic, I do think they should spread this information,” Steinke said in an email Monday. “People keep pointing out that the people who get the most sick usually are elderly or have an underlying condition. There are a lot of people who are elderly or have an underlying condition. I’m married to one of them.”
As of Monday morning, there have been two reported cases In North Carolina. This includes a Wake County resident who was exposed to the virus in Washington state, where there is a COVID-19 outbreak at a long-term care facility, the News & Observer previously reported.
Schools encourage good hygiene to prevent spread of coronavirus
Fears about the spread of coronavirus have caused school districts across the nation to reassure the public that they’re taking steps to address a potential outbreak. A repeated message is to practice good hygiene by washing your hands and to stay home if you feel sick.
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools went as far as canceling all district and school-sponsored international trips and encouraging people to cancel privately sponsored trips.
Luten said Monday that there are no Wake County school system or individual school-sponsored trips scheduled to go overseas during spring break. She said the district is leaving it up to the judgment of parents and individual groups whether to cancel privately sponsored trips.
Chapel Hill-Carrboro has also gone farther than Wake in using disinfectant to clean school cafeteria tables throughout the day, including between classes.
As part of Wake’s update last week, the district said it will continue to only use water to clean cafeteria tables between classes even though an online petition says more needs to be done in light of coronavirus.
Wake only uses sanitizers to clean tables after the final breakfast period and the final lunch period, when there’s enough time for the sanitizer to dry and students aren’t in the cafeteria.
This story was originally published March 9, 2020 at 11:29 AM.
