Announcement – Novel Coronavirus Precautions

CDI-CDC and CFC are continuing to closely monitor the coronavirus (now named COVID-19) situation. We are in communication with our districts and Offices of Public Health regarding protocols and practices. Currently, there are limited cases of coronavirus circulating in the counties served by our centers and the immediate risk to the public remains low. However, we are preparing for the possibility of widespread transmission of the novel coronavirus in the United States.

We will share more information as it becomes available. In the meantime, current information about the coronavirus is available on the Centers for Disease Control (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html) website. Please read this Coronavirus Information Sheet http://bit.ly/CoronaVirusInfoSheet from the Santa Clara County Department of Public Health regarding frequently asked questions about the novel coronavirus.

In addition to our daily cleaning practices we are:

Increasing the frequency of disinfecting touched surfaces daily
Using disposable products when available and appropriate
Increasing the frequency of handwashing for both staff and children

The California Public Health Agency encourages all of us to continue taking everyday preventive actions to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses, including:

Staying home when sick
Washing hands frequently
Covering coughs with a sleeve or tissue
Having ample tissues within easy reach, as well as no-touch trash cans
Routinely cleaning frequently touched surfaces
Separating sick students and staff from others until they can go home

We have reviewed cleaning procedures with our custodial staff and have ample supplies of disinfectant at our sites.

Please note, we would like to emphasize that there are no known cases of coronavirus at any of our sites. We have already deployed a number of different approaches to student and staff wellness, including:

– If parents, students or staff have recently traveled to any area designated by the Centers for Disease Control as Level Two or higher, please call your local site office and refrain from coming to the center for 14 days.
– If any parents or students intend to travel to any area designated by the Centers for Disease Control as Level two or higher, you are required to keep your student home and other members of the family should refrain from attending CDC sites for 14 days. This also applies to parents, students, or staff members.
– Students and staff who have been exposed to the coronavirus may return to school after 14 days with documented clearance from a medical professional. ** We will defer to school district protocol, as needed.

Other important items to note include:

– The Public Health Department is not recommending the cancellation of public events at this time.

-Children should still continue to go to school and families should continue their daily routines with an increased practice of the preventative actions listed above.

– Please keep in mind that this is a virus, and it is not specific to any single race or ethnicity. It is important to speak with your children about cultural sensitivity during this challenging time.

– The CDC does not recommend the use of face masks among healthy individuals. N95 respirator masks are not designed for this purpose and should not be worn by children.

– As a reminder, if your child is sick, please keep them home.

We will continue to monitor this situation and keep our communities appraised of any new developments. Please continue to monitor this page for updates.