Today Confluence Health has reported that a resident of North Central Washington, who is hospitalized at Central Washington Hospital, has tested presumptively positive for COVID-19 (coronavirus). This is a critical moment in the growing outbreak of COVID-19 in our state and community. All residents are advised to follow Chelan-Douglas Health District's recommendations. Together, we may potentially impact the spread of the disease in our community.
The Chelan-Douglas Health District is not currently recommending that schools proactively close unless they have a confirmed case of COVID-19 in a staff member or student.
This guidance may have been confusing for some families because schools bring together large groups of children. School closures have significant negative impacts on our community. The Chelan-Douglas Health District is providing additional information to schools about how to stay open safely. The considerations not to recommend routine closure at schools include:
- Children are not known to get seriously ill from COVID-19
- Closing schools may not be effective because some children may congregate anyway, at other locations
- Many parents, such as healthcare workers, need to be at work. If these critical workers stay home with children it causes significant impacts on the healthcare system and other institutions that are essential for our community to function
- If schools close, some children might have to stay home with alternative caregivers, such as elders, who are more vulnerable
- We don’t know how effective children are in spreading this disease
- Some children and staff may be at higher risk for severe illness because of underlying health conditions or a weakened immune system. Public Health advises that those people consult with their healthcare provider to decide the best course of action.
We are continually evaluating information as it becomes available to better inform our decisions about proactive school closure.
3/5/20 Chelan-Douglas Health District News Release