Dear Families,
As you may have heard, yesterday San Francisco Mayor London Breed issued an emergency declaration to prepare for the potential spread of the coronavirus. This action was intended to increase awareness and bolster resources for planning for the possible outbreak; however, there have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus in San Francisco or Marin.
MCDS has been monitoring this health threat since late January, and we have posted a few guidelines in The Pipeline earlier this month. Here is a summary of what we have been doing at school, and how you can help our community to stay healthy.
- The school has been receiving regular bulletins and following guidelines from Marin Health and Human Services (MHHS) on persons who may be at risk, and what to do in those cases. MHHS refers to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), which provides many resources on the coronavirus.
- The most effective measures to protect against the spread of illnesses remain simple: cover coughs, wash hands with soap for at least 20 seconds, and stay at home when you develop symptoms.
- Teachers and staff are reminding students to wash their hands frequently, especially before eating. For when it's not feasible to wash hands, we are adding hand sanitizer stations around campus.
- Our facilities team does a thorough cleaning of all spaces each evening, including wiping down frequently touched objects and surfaces, such as doorknobs and desktops.
- Please help us by keeping children at home if they are sick or have flu-like symptoms. We require at least 24 hours fever-free without medications before returning to school.
- If you or someone you are in close contact with has recently visited a country where the coronavirus has spread widely, and you have reasonable belief that you have been exposed to the virus, please follow the public health guidelines from the CDC. You may have to seek professional medical care or self-quarantine for 14 days since the date of exposure.
- Keep in mind that the fear around the coronavirus has created stigma against specific ethnic groups. We are an inclusive community, and we encourage everyone to practice empathy, and to avoid perpetuating stereotypes through language or images.
While coronavirus is serious and would create a significant health threat to any community, we are doing our best to keep anxiety low for the sake of our students and teachers.
At this time we want teachers to stay focused on the current lessons they're delivering in classes, and we will use all available resources of expertise and technology to provide learning continuity should we face school closures. I will communicate with updates as we learn more.
Thank you so much for your partnership,