Archdiocese Of San Francisco To Close 90 Bay Area Catholic Schools Over Coronavirus Concerns
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The Archdiocese of San Francisco Tuesday afternoon announced plans to close all 90 Catholic schools in the region starting Thursday, cancelling classes and all student activity through March 25.
The Archdiocese said on Sunday evening, the San Francisco Public Health Department confirmed that an ASF student has tested positive for coronavirus. The closure will impact students at 90 schools in Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties, lasting nearly two weeks.
The announcement came from Archdiocese Superintendent of Schools Pamela Lyons in a letter issued Tuesday afternoon shortly before 3:30 p.m.
"After careful consideration and in light of the new information, the Archdiocese will close its school buildings and cancel classes and student-related activities from March 12 - March 25, 2020. This closure includes any planned school events such as fundraisers, community events as well as field trips," the letter read. "This closure means that school buildings will not be open to children, parents, or community members during this time. Course content will be delivered utilizing the Archdiocesan distance learning protocol which has been distributed to all schools."
Some of the schools in the Archdiocese were already closed this week for scheduled spring break, according to the Archdiocese website.
The announcement by the Archdiocese comes less than a week after the Department of Catholic Schools issued a letter stating that after consulting with San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin health officials, "there is no need to change daily routines in any way. According to public health officials, students and staff should continue their normal routines and take the same precautions they would during cold and flu season."
The San Francisco Unfied School District has only closed one school so far since the outbreak began when Lowell High School was shut down for several days starting last Thursday after the parent of a student was diagnosed with COVID-19. However, the district did cancel all non-essential events at all SFUSD schools earlier this week.
