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Santa Maria schools prepare for coronavirus outbreaks

SM SCHOOL CV PIC

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - As the coronavirus continues to spread, Santa Maria Valley schools are taking measures to stay safe.

Hancock college has bright yellow signs posted through out the school to educate students and faculty on the protocols the health department is recommending.

None of the local schools in Santa Maria have any planned closures due to the coronavirus outbreak. However, they are making preparations for the virus to arrive.

Schools are implementing as many warnings and protocols as they can.

“We are following the guidance of the Center For Disease Control, California Department of Health and Santa Barbara Department of Health,” said Hancock College President Dr. Kevin Walthers.

This includes common sense measures to avoid germs and infection.

“We are reminding people to wash their hands, use hand sanitizers, cover their cough, stay home if they are sick. We are keeping track of those out with illnesses so we can share that with the county health department as well,” said Dr. Walthers.

Hancock had multiple meetings with staff members and has an emergency web page on their website.

“Once students click on the website, it will take you to the coronavirus page and you can scroll and see the latest updates,” said Dr. Walthers.

The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, Bonita School District, Orcutt Unified School District and Hancock College are all ramping up cleaning practices throughout the schools as well.

The Santa Maria Joint High School district released a statement to NewsChannel 12 saying: “The health risk in California remains low … our normal proactive measures involve encouraging staff to look for severe signs of cough or fever.”

“There is not a whole lot we can do, I mean we are not a health agency, so we are just trying to make sure that people have the best information to stay safe,” noted Dr. Walthers.

The Bonita School District also released a statement saying: “We have no school closures planned in any way. Our cleaning crews are using district approved cleaning supplies. Hand sanitizer is available in all the classrooms. We are urging parents to keep sick children at home and asking the same of our employees.”

Hancock College says it is doing everything it can to offer online classes where possible. They plan to use the time for spring break coming up next week to plan out further protocols.

The elementary and high school districts in Santa Maria also tell NewsChannel 12 they have no plans in place for cancelling classes at this time either.

Article Topic Follows: Santa Maria - Lompoc - North County

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Naja Hill

Naja Hill is a reporter for NewsChannel 3-12. To learn more about Naja, click here.

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