LATEST INFO ON CORONAVIRUS

• Link to the Very Latest from the TN Department of Health (Updated Daily)

• EatRight.org Tips for Healthy Eating During Pandemic

• TN COVID-19 Remote Assessment Sites (3.18.20)

• TN Dept of Education IMPORTANT Contact Information & Links

• TN Gov. Bill Lee Announces Executive Order for More Federal Funds to Fight Coronavirus (3.12.20)

• Coronavirus FAQ for Parents (3.10.20)

• Preventing the Spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Homes and Residential Communities

• EPA’s Registered Antimicrobial Products for Use Against Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the Cause of COVID-19

• Tennessee Dept of Education w/Latest Information on Coronavirus (3.6.20)

• TN Governor Bill Lee's Press Conference on Coronavirus (3/5/20)

• TDH Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey Update On COVID-19 Preparedness

• Tennessee Department of Health Press Release on State's Preparedness for Coronavirus (COVID-19)

• About Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) From Center for Disease Control & Prevention

School, Workplace, Home and Public Safety Tips

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2.28.20

LCSS recognizes your concerns about the encroaching spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and its potential impact on schools. Information is key. Here is the latest on the Coronavirus from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). At this time, while there is no antiviral treatment that attacks the coronavirus, individuals are being treated with pain relievers, cough syrup and other medications for the symptoms. So, it is important that we rely on prevention, as we did with the "swine flu" (H1N1) in 2009.

As we await guidance from the CDC on specific strategies for schools, we will follow common-sense strategies for preventing the spread of communicable diseases.

Virus Prevention Tips

Individual Level

• Practice social distancing when ill

• Ask parents to keep children home who exhibit cold and flu-like symptoms

• Encourage staff to refrain from coming to work if they have cold and flu-like symptoms

Hand Washing

• Encourage all students to keep unwashed hands out of their mouths, eyes, etc

• Encourage all students to use soap

Classroom | School Level

• Have teachers review hand-washing techniques with students

• Discourage the sharing of food

• Encourage maintenance and classroom staff to use antibacterial products on all high-touch surfaces daily

• Increase frequency of school building cleaning by maintenance staff and upgrade via the use of more effective cleaning products

System | District Level

• Provide clear and transparent communication to the community especially around any suspected or confirmed cases

• Ensure that school nurses are vigilant in monitoring the student body, especially in cases where students exhibit symptoms associated with the virus

• Establish a process for determining whether students are contracting the virus and a system for reporting updates to health officials

• Share overall school strategies for dealing with the spread of the virus should school/district be impacted

• Currently, public health officials are not recommending the use of masks or gloves in public settings

• At this time, federal health authorities are not recommending that schools cancel classes

• Take action without stigmatizing any students/families/populations

While the Coronavirus news is concerning, it is important to point out that there are other respiratory viruses like influenza currently circulating in schools. Fever, coughing and difficulty breathing are symptoms associated with all of them. Therefore, anyone exhibiting these symptoms should not be assumed to have COVID-19.