Plymouth Schools Closed Due to Coronavirus Fears

All schools in the Plymouth district were closed on Friday and disinfected after a student was tested for COVID-19

By Helen Frazer

PLYMOUTH- 12 schools across the Plymouth district closed on Friday, March 6, as a sanitation company disinfected all surfaces after a high school student showed symptoms of COVID-19.

A 17-year-old at Plymouth North High School began showing signs of the coronavirus after returning from a recent trip to Milan, Italy. He was sent to Beth Isreal Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth and tested.

Due to the recent spread of coronavirus, also referred to as COVID-19, in Massachusetts and Itay, the school system took action by closing all schools in the district in order for all surfaces to be properly sanitized, along with school buses.

Plymouth Public Schools Superintendent, Gary Maestas, released a statement to families stating, “In order to disinfect all potential surfaces that occupants would come into contact with, we have contracted with a professional commercial cleaning service that specializes in this type of work.”

The company hired was Service Master Restore. Their Commercial Trauma & Biohazard clean-up services are advertised on their website.

After the schools had been disinfected, a district-wide call was sent out Friday night that pronounced the boy’s tested negative for coronavirus.

The Mass.gov website created a page titled “Information on the Outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019” that gives updates on cases around the world and in the state of Massachusetts.

The Mass.gov website states that in order to prevent COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses you should wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. Also, avoid touching your face, clean frequently touched objects like doorknobs, and cover your mouth when coughing.

If you are feeling sick Mass.gov recommends staying home and avoid contact with others in order to prevent the spread of illness.