U.S. News

Coronavirus Spreading Closer… Should We Worry?

The Coronavirus is spreading across the United States at a rapid pace

Reporter Cameron Ashley

[UPDATE: Monday, September 16th has been designated a teacher workday for staff to prepare for future school closings due to the COVID-19 outbreak. GCPS has released the following statement:

"As we are currently in the middle of the cold and flu season, there is much concern regarding COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus. The coronavirus is spread like the flu, through person-to-person contact, or contaminated surfaces. Infection may also be spread through respiratory droplets when the infected coughs, sneezes or talks. Gloucester County Public Schools are taking precautions to be prepared and limit the risk of exposure. We will continue to monitor the situation daily through the guidance of the Virginia Department of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention along with the Virginia Department of Education. As of today, there are no confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the state of Virginia. The CDC reports the general public’s risk of coronavirus exposure to be low. At this time, prevention is our best method. The custodial staff at each building is working continuously to keep our schools clean with extra attention on commonly touched surfaces. The school nurses are diligently educating on the importance of hand hygiene. They are also looking for trends of illness within the schools. Following the sick day guidelines below can help prevent the spread of infection. They can also be found on the GCPS website under the department of safety and health."

There have been over 150 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus in the United States so far, and there have been 11 deaths because of it. Most of these cases were reported within this week, which is extremely concerning. The virus is spreading quicker than ever, and many children, parents, school systems, and businesses are concerned about it.

The first official death attributed to the Coronavirus in the United States was in Washington State, which has caused many Washington schools to close down for a while, just in case any of the students have contracted the virus. Since then, it seems as though the virus is spreading like a wildfire, with the amount of cases in the U.S. rising at an alarming pace.

What’s even more concerning is that there was a confirmed case of the Coronavirus in North Carolina, which is obviously very close to Virginia.

The threat of the virus is so severe that the Newport News school system closed down school for two days because a student returned from a trip to China, which is where the virus is being contracted the most. If a student were to actually have the Coronavirus, school would end up being cancelled for a very long time.

While scientists and medics are desperately searching for a cure or vaccine, citizens are doing whatever they can to stay hygenic and free of the virus. There’s more than can be done than simply washing your hands; you can wear a mask and use alcohol-based hand sanitizer regularly. It’s also very important to try to stay away from other people who are sick, rather it’s the common cold, the flu, or any other sickness that is highly contagious and has symptoms that are similar to those of the Coronavirus.

The Coronavirus is a frightening epidemic, and while cautions should be made to prevent the virus from spreading further, it is not necessary to panic. The estimate for the death rate is 3.4%, and those who die likely have underlying health problems besides the virus. As long as the virus is contained fairly well and citizens take personal hygiene seriously (washing hands, clean clothes, etc…), there is no reason to panic.