March 6, 2020
Dear Parent/Guardian:
The health and wellbeing of students and staff are always the top priorities of Walnut Valley Unified School District.
You may have heard that Los Angeles County has declared a local health emergency in response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). At the time of this writing there are 11 known cases of the coronavirus in the county.
In the first case, the person has recovered. In the ten new cases, the source of exposure is known and there are no cases of community transmission.
According to the LA County Department of Public Health (DPH), we can expect more confirmed cases in the near future. The focus continues to be on preventing spread of the illness by following basic sanitary practices.
It’s a good time for all of us to become prepared, but not to panic.
There currently are no school closures. DPH will work with schools to assess and determine, on a case by case basis, if a school needs to dismiss or close. If there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 in an individual who has been at school, it is not an automatic reason for school dismissal or closure. DPH will make the determination.
A video from our District Nurse on Healthy Reminders to prevent the spread of germs was shown to students today. Please view the video by clicking on the link and it is also on our District Website.
Please continue to take all possible precautions to help reduce the risk of spreading germs to others.
These include the following recommendations from DPH:
- #1 prevention method is frequent handwashing with soap and water for 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. If soap and water are not available, hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol can be used. Use of soap and water is best.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands. If you do not have a tissue, use your sleeve (not your hands).
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Limit close contact, like kissing and sharing cups or utensils, with people who are sick.
- Face masks are most effective when used appropriately by health care workers and people who are sick.
- Get the flu vaccine if you have not done so this season. It’s not too late to get the flu vaccine. Being protected against the flu will decrease the number of people using healthcare resources and allow resources to be available for people who may have COVID-19.
DPH states there is no current need for significant “social distancing” measures in LA County, and the individual risk for contracting COVID-19 remains low for most individuals. However, DPH encourages everyone to make personal preparations now that include:
- Having an ample supply of essentials at home (including water, food, hygiene, medications, and pet food).
- Practicing simple strategies that limit your exposure to others who may be ill (such as verbal salutations in place of handshakes and hugs, not sharing utensils, cups and linens).
Lastly, it is important that we do not act out of fear, but rather focus on treating everyone in our community with kindness. Kindness is a part of our school culture and I know that we will continue to support an environment in which all students, staff, and families feel welcome. Be aware of misinformation surrounding the coronavirus.
You can get the most accurate information on the DPH website here.
Thank you for your support of our school community.
March 6, 2020
敬爱的家长/监护人：
学生和教职员的健康和福祉一直是我的首要任务。
您可能已经知道 ，针对新型冠状病毒（COVID-19，洛杉矶县已宣布进入区域性的紧急状態。在撰写本文时，该县有 11 例已知的冠状病毒病例。
第一病例的个人已经康复；新增的 10 例确诊病例，也已知其感染源，没有社区传播的病例。
洛杉矶县公共卫生局（DPH）表示, 虽然在不久的将来我们预期会有更多确诊的病例；重点仍然是遵循基本的卫生习惯，以防止疾病传播。
现在是我们所有人做好准备的时候了，但绝对不要惊慌。
目前没有学校停课。根据个别学校的具体情况， DPH将与学校一起评估和确定学校是否需要停课或关闭。若有曾到过学校的确诊COVID-19个人病例，也不会构成学校就得自动停课或关闭的理由， DPH将会做出决定。
今天，学生们观看了我们学区护士特别录制关于健康提醒的视频，以防止细菌传播。请点击此处查看，该视频也会发布在学区网站上。 https://youtu.be/HbxsN8t3tm4
请继续采取所有可能的预防措施，以帮助减少细菌传播给他人的风险。这些包括来自DPH的以下建议：
- ＃1预防方法是经常用肥皂和水洗手20秒，尤其是上洗手间后，进食之前以及擤鼻涕，咳嗽或打喷嚏后。如果没有肥皂和水，可以使用至少含60％酒精的洗手液。最好使用肥皂和水
- 咳嗽或打喷嚏時用纸巾遮住，然后将纸巾丢进垃圾桶并洗手。如果没有纸巾，请使用衣袖（不要用手）
- 避免用未清洗过的手去触摸眼睛，鼻子和嘴巴
- 避免与患病者的亲密接触，例如亲吻和分享杯子或器皿
- 医护人员和患病者适当使用口罩时最有效
- 如果本季还未打流感疫苗，请赶快打，晚打总比没打好！ 。有流感疫苗的保护，可以减少使用医疗保健的人数，资源就可供可能患有COVID-19的人使用
DPH指出，洛杉矶县目前不需要采取重大的 "疏离社区"措施，对大多数的人来说， 个人感染COVID-19的风险仍然很低。但是，DPH还是鼓励大家现在就进行个人配备，包括：
- 备足家用的必需品（包括水，食物，卫生用品，药物和宠物食品）
- 采取简化策略来减少您接触其他可能生病人的机会（例如，用口头称呼代替握手和拥抱，不要共用器皿，杯子和床单）
最后，重要的是不要让恐惧牵动我们的行为举动，应以善心对待社区中的每个人。善良是我们学校文化的一部分，我知道我们会继续创造让所有学生，教职员和家庭能够感受到親切的学习环境。请注意围绕冠状病毒的错误信息。
您可以在DPH网站上获得最准确的信息here.
感谢您对我们学校社区的支持。
此致,
校长