Germantown Academy Closes After Student Tests Presumptive Positive For Coronavirus
FORT WASHINGTON, Pa. (CBS) -- Germantown Academy says a student tested presumptive positive for the coronavirus. The student's family member had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus over the weekend, prompting Germantown Academy to close this week.
To protect other students, the campus will be closed until the end of spring break. Until then, it is being cleaned from top to bottom. Starting Thursday, students will attend virtual classes until they leave for spring break.
The student is a member of the Upper School and remains self-quarantined at home.
"While our campus is interconnected with common spaces open to all students, the student who tested positive does not have any siblings at the school, does not currently participate in physical education or athletics, and does not use the bus system for commuting to school," Head of School Rich Schellhas said in a letter to the community.
Three other Germantown Academy students who visited the student's house last week are in self-quarantine for a minimum of two weeks, as directed by the Montgomery County Health Department.
They are currently asymptomatic and will not be tested unless they begin to experience symptoms.
Over in Philadelphia, the school district is following all recommendations to ensure COVID-19 doesn't enter school walls.
"There are a minimum of nine new hand sanitizing stations," Philadelphia School District spokesperson Monica Lewis said.
Those have been placed in high-frequency areas.
"We have them in hallways, stairwells, cafeterias," Lewis said.
Thousands of cases of hand sanitizer and wipes have been ordered. Plus, additional custodial staff have been hired to sanitize common areas at least twice a day.
"From morning to evening hours, we have people to wipe down railways and doorknobs and to keep things as safe as possible," Lewis said.
Principal Ted Domers, from Carver High School of Engineering and Science, says students have been using the additional resources.
"Hand sanitizer is being placed all over the school so anywhere a student is, they have access to making sure they can do that," Domers said.
At Germantown Academy, school officials say the facilities are being thoroughly cleaned so when students return, everything will be disinfected.
CBS3's Alecia Reid contributed to this report.