[Editor’s Note: The N.J. Department of Health K-12 document is no longer available online. Additional resources and guidance are available on a special page of the DOH website and Feb. 3 memo from the Commissioner of Education. February 3, 2020]
The New Jersey Department of Health on Jan. 28 issued an information document for K-12 school district administrators on the Novel Coronavirus 2019 (2019-nCoV). The document addresses common symptoms, preventive measures and cleaning procedures, among other topics.
It is among the coordinated steps being taken by state agencies, which New Jersey Department of Education officials discussed with state-level educational organizations yesterday. NJDOE expects to issue a broadcast email to chief school administrators with current information as early as today.
No Person-to-Person Spread At publication time, five 2019-mCpV cases have been confirmed in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. There are no confirmed cases in New Jersey.
A special CDC webpage provides information on developments related to 2019-nCoV. As of Jan. 28, the CDC reports the following: “Imported cases of 2019-nCoV infection in people have been detected in the U.S. No person-to-person spread has been detected with this virus at the time, and this virus is NOT currently spreading in the community in the United States.”
The federal agency indicates that it will update the webpage regularly.
Travel The U.S. Department of State has issued a Level 4 travel advisory (“Do not travel”) to Hubei Province in China, where the virus first emerged, and a Level 3 advisory (“Reconsider travel”) for the remainder of China. In addition, the CDC has issued a health alert, recommending avoidance of all nonessential travel to China.
Resources:
- N.J. Department of Health, “Novel Coronavirus 2019 (2019-nCoV) Information for K-12 Schools”
- N.J. Department of Health, “School Health” (Prevention and Control of Communicable Disease)
- Centers for Disease Control, 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)
- U.S. Department of State, Travel Advisory – China