Gov. Charlie Baker said on Monday that the state is preparing for any major outbreaks of the coronavirus, and will have the ability to test in health care facilities across the state, while the Chelsea Public Schools said it is monitoring the situation and advising parents to keep kids home if they are sick.
“We’ve obviously been working this issue for over one month now through our contacts with the CDC and our colleagues in municipal government in all the departments of public health,” said the governor. “I think that the thing everybody is focused on at this point is ensuring we are in a position to make sure people who show signs are tested and tested quickly. We now have the ability to do the tests here in Massachusetts and we spent a good part of last weekend talking to our colleagues in the health care world making sure we have the testing capacity and can test when we need to.
“I certainly think that people who are coming back from areas that have a high level of presence of this virus, some sort of stay-at-home type of quarantine is not a bad idea,” he continued. “That’s obviously one of the things we’re talking to our colleagues in the public health community for purposes of how we should move ahead in Massachusetts.”
One key focus point this week, he said, was for state officials, City officials and the public health community here to watch what happens on the West Coast – where there have been more cases and outbreaks in the last two weeks.
“I think the thing many of us are going to pay a lot of attention to in the next several days is going to be the fallout on the West Coast,” he said. “It’s pretty clear, and it may have to do with their proximity to Asia from a geographic point of view, but I think a lot of us are particularly interested in what happens there.”
This week, Supt. Almi Abeyta sent home a letter of guidance to parent on Monday to let them know the district is working with the City and state to monitor the spread of the virus.
“It is an evolving situation that we are following closely and will continue to update you and information is shared with us,” she wrote. “Please rest assured that we are monitoring student health concerns. We are in close communication with the local Board of Health, Massachusetts Department of Public Health/School Health Unit, as well as pediatric health care providers in the community. Our School Facilities Department is vigilantly sanitizing our educational spaces as we typically do during cold and flu season. We are following all recommended guidelines to ensure the safety of our students and staff.”
She also advised that it is important to keep children at home when they are sick and not to send them to school if they have the following symptoms:
•temperature greater than 100.4
•coughing
•vomiting
•diarrhea
•rashes
•red or pink itchy eyes
•drainage from the eyes
•Sick with chicken pox, strep throat or the flu.
Baker said the state will be ready to work the plans they’ve had in place for some time, but with the flexibility to change course as things evolve on the front lines.
“The game plan here is to make sure we’re doing all the surveillance work we need to do and that we’re in a position to conduct testing as appropriate and we have a public health and health care system that is able and ready to deal with this as it moves forward,” he said. “I fully expect this is a thing where you plan the work and work the plan, but you also expect and anticipate the plan is going to change with the facts on the ground.”
The following are some general tips to staying healthy and protecting oneself from the flu and other respiratory illnesses:
•Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds;
•If you do not have access to soap and water, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer;
•Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands;
•Avoid close contact with people who are sick;
If you have cold-like symptoms, you can help protect others by;
*Staying home while you are sick;
•Avoiding close contact with others;
•Covering your mouth and nose with a tissue (or arm) when you cough or sneeze, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands;
•Cleaning and disinfecting objects and surfaces.