Janelle Irwin Taylor
As Florida colleges prepare to shift classes online to avoid potential spread of the coronavirus, public schools throughout the state remain open.
The Florida Department of Health has not, so far, issued any guidance to K-12 schools to close campuses, according to the Hillsborough County School district.
“There is currently no evidence that coronavirus is in any of our schools. The Florida Department of Health is not recommending general closures of schools. We work very closely with the health department and always implement their recommendations.” Hillsborough County Schools spokeswoman Tanya Arja told Florida Politics Thursday morning.
The district did close, “out of an abundance of caution,” Farnell Middle School in northwest Hillsborough County. The school will be closed Thursday and Friday before all schools close the following week for spring break.
That closure comes after the Florida Department of Health notified the school district that “a person who regularly comes” to the campus had recent direct contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 in another county.
The district did not say which county.
The contact occurred within the last six days, Superintendent Jeff Eakins wrote in a statement.
“This individual has absolutely no symptoms but, as mandated by the health department, this person is now self-isolating and being assessed by the health department. This individual will not be allowed to return to our school until cleared by the health department,” Eakins said, emphasis his own.
The district is not sharing the person’s personal information due to privacy concerns.
Over the next two days the district will undergo a deep cleaning process at the school. That includes turning off the air conditioning for 24 hours so “every particle in the air settles down,” using hot thermal fog to pull any possible germs from areas like ceilings that cleaning crews can’t reach, wiping down all surfaces with chemicals recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and waiting 24 hours after all cleaning has completed, with the air conditioning shut off, before allowing anyone back to the school.
Parents and staff were notified of the closure early Thursday morning by email and phone. The district will provide further details as they become available.
