Presumptive Coronavirus Cases Force School Closures, Students To Self-Quarantine
BOSTON (CBS) -- An Arlington parent is among the state's presumptive positive coronavirus patients and one of their children is being tested for the virus after showing symptoms, the town announced Sunday. Stratton Elementary School in Arlington will be closed Monday as they await test results.
"Without test results in hand, and with a parent who has tested positive for COVID-19, the leadership team in Arlington unanimously feels that it is best to close the Stratton on Monday and re-evaluate during the day," Superintendent Kathleen Bodie said in a statement. Crews will spend Monday disinfecting the school.
A Gibbs Middle School student in the same family will self-quarantine but does have any symptoms.
Plainville School Superintendent David Raiche decided to close Anna Ware Jackson School and Beatrice H. Wood School Monday "order to sanitize our school buildings while test results for one of our parents are pending." The schools are side by side and use the same buses.
St. Mary's Schools in Worcester will also be closed Monday.
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Multiple Massachusetts students have been asked to self-quarantine after a household member received a presumptive positive test result for coronavirus.
In Lexington, Two Bowman Elementary School students will stay at home for 14 days because a family member has a presumptive positive test result. The Lexington Board of Health said the students are in the same house as the coronavirus patient but don't share a bathroom, living space, meals, or utensils.
The infected resident has mild symptoms and is recovering. The children have no symptoms.
"All Bowman Elementary School bathrooms, classrooms, railings, doorknobs and cafeteria are being disinfected to prepare for the opening of school on Monday, March 9, 2020," said the town.
Similarly, two Natick High School students were directed not to come to school after a parent received a presumptive positive test result for COVID-19. The students have not shown any symptoms. "Additionally, the family made a decision to keep the students out of school prior to this becoming a presumptive case," said Natick Public Schools.
The high school was closed Sunday so custodians could clean and sanitize the building.
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A student of Horace Mann Elementary School in Newton will also follow quarantine protocol after the Newton Department of Health and Human Services was notified that a city resident received a presumptive positive coronavirus test. The student does not have any symptoms and all Newton schools will be open Monday.
In Weston, a middle school student who has not gone to school since last Wednesday will self-quarantine because their parent has tested positive for a presumptive case of coronavirus. All school buildings will be open but two concerts and all field trips this week have been canceled.
Bedford High School was cleaned Sunday morning and the school will remain open after one student was told to self-quarantine. A family member of theirs is being tested for coronavirus after coming in contact with someone who now has the virus.
There are 27 presumptive cases of coronavirus and one confirmed case in Massachusetts as of Sunday. Presumptive positive tests mean patients tested positive for COVID-19 at a state level and the results were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation.
Twenty-three of those presumptive cases have been connected to a Biogen employee conference that took place at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf in February.
