LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner today outlined precautionary steps the district is taking against the deadly novel coronavirus, also know as COVID-19.
All LAUSD schools continue to operate normally, and Beutner stressed that there are currently no known cases of COVID-19 in the Los Angeles area.
But he said the district is working closely with experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the Los Angeles County and state health departments, the governor's office, the mayor's office, the state Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Metropolitan Transit Authority.
“The health experts at the County and the CDC will provide us with information they have it, as well as specific instructions for school operations in the event of any occurrence of the virus in our schools,” Beutner said in a video posted on the district's website. “We're working with our labor partners to carefully review the impact the virus could have in schools and work sites...
“We're also making plans for learning to continue at home if any schools are going to be closed, as well as the possibility of extending the school year to make up for and disruption to the school calendar, if necessary.
“The situation's quite fluid, and the facts and circumstances will change quickly,” Beutner said. “We will do our best to keep you informed.”
The video can be viewed at https://lausd.wistia.com/medias/4tcusmgspo.
Worldwide, more than 92,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed, including over 3,100 deaths, the vast majority of them in China. More than 100 cases have been confirmed in the United States, including more than 30 in California.
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