Merced County schools to close Thursday, in response to coronavirus threat, officials say
Amid school district closures happening statewide over growing concerns about the spread of coronavirus, Merced County school officials late Sunday said all schools will shut down Thursday, with the goal of reopening April 20.
Steve Tietjen, Merced County superintendent of schools, said the decision was reached after an emergency meeting Sunday afternoon. The decision includes all institutions preschool through 12th grade including Head Start, in all of Merced County’s 20 school districts.
“(The closures) will give two cycles of the virus to cycle through and hopefully reduce spread if there is any in Merced County,” Tietjen said. “We know that social distancing is the key to stopping the spread as well as hand washing as put forth by the Department of Public Health.”
The last day of instruction will be Wednesday. Tietjen said the schools will be open for the next three days, allowing families to make sure they have a chance to plan.
The next three days will also give school districts a chance to plan for drive-thru meal services beginning Thursday.
Tietjen said Merced County Office of Education has been following guidance issued by the California Department of Public Health as well as the Office of the Governor.
Although no confirmed cases of coronavirus have been reported in Merced County, Tietjen said the emergency meeting Sunday came after more counties have moved to close schools.
“All data suggests that if we can stop the spread in the coming month, we can stop the spread and get back to normal,” Tietjen said.
Alan Peterson, superintendent of Merced Union High School District, described the situation as being “very fluid” and said the district will continue to communicate with parents through a daily memo.
He said food services will be available on a grab and go or drive-thru distribution model at school sites. Peterson said the district is taking the lead in coordination of the efforts, to see that other areas are not duplicating services.
“I was not alive during WWII, but in my lifetime, there has never been a national emergency at this level, he said.
Peterson also said his heart goes out to seniors who are participating in spring sports, FFA, clubs or bands. “We will do everything in our power to see that those programs are restarted as soon as the health department gives us the OK, he said.
As for parents, Peterson said the district is asking them to limit their visits to campus. He said no visitors will be allowed on campus leading up to the closure.
On Friday the Merced County Office of Emergency Services and Department of Public Health declared an emergency in response to coronavirus concerns. Following the county’s declaration, the City of Merced also declared a state of emergency.
The City of Atwater earlier this month was the first Merced County city to declare an emergency.
There are also growing concerns about the coronavirus elsewhere in the Valley. Fresno County declared an emergency on Sunday after a second person tested positive for the infection in that county
Tulare County has also reported two cases, while Madera and Stanislaus counties have each reported a single case.
Residents respond to situation
Merced County grocery stores were deluged with customers loading up common household supplies like paper towels, hand sanitizer, food — and toilet paper.
Many stores around the Valley have even reported shortages of toilet paper amid the national crisis.
Some shoppers like Adam Campos, 26, of Merced, were not stocking up more than usual, and were just trying to get food for the week as they normally would.
Campos said he’s more concerned with how people are reacting to the situation than the actual virus itself. He said basic necessities like water and toilet paper that he could normally purchase casually are now in short supply.
“That seems to be when we go shopping everywhere else, it’s kind of limiting what we’re getting and eating and that’s more of a concern than the actual, whats going on,” said Campos. “Now that everyone’s buying out other stuff that we normally use, that forces everyone else to do the same so it’s kind of a domino effect.”
Another busy location over the weekend was the Target in Merced, where Debbie Prevost, 66, of Chowchilla was shopping Sunday.
Prevost was at Target to purchase items like baby formula for a WIC store in Chowchilla. She said the only thing she has stocked up on is extra toilet paper because that’s “the one necessity that you really can’t do without.”
Prevost said she noticed that at stores in Chowchilla, a lot of the toilet paper and water were gone.
“I know a lot of people are like really getting all shook up and they’re kind of going crazy, but I think a lot of people don’t realize that we’ve had this kind of stuff happen before and we’ve all survived and come through it,” said Prevost.
“I know there’s a virus out there but believe it or not I trust in God. I believe that God will see us through this just like he has everything else,” she said.
Vanessa Cruz, 29, of Merced, was also shopping at Target on Sunday. “It is a little bit of a panic. Obviously we’re all trying to just kind of get the essentials, but it’s kind of scary how the panic I think is more scarier than the actual virus I feel,” Cruz said.
Cruz said she had heard in news accounts that Merced County hasn’t detected any cases of coronavirus, but she would like to know how many people have actually been tested. “I don’t think that’s being displayed a lot in the media,” she said.
Cruz said she stocking up on essential food items like rice and beans. Cruz said she is not overstocking and feels that some people are taking the situation a little too far. Cruz said other people who are more in need of items aren’t getting anything in the stores.
“There’s absolutely no toilet paper, no waters, no soaps really, no rubbing alcohol. But I’m seeing a lot of medications still in stock so I feel like people are stocking up on other stuff than you know, building up their immune system,” she said.
Update from the county on testing
Although there are no known local cases in Merced County, officials in an email update of the evolving situation that pointed out that testing for the virus is not widely available.
“This is not specific to Merced County. Testing is not widely available state or nationwide,” the update said.
As of Sunday, 18 people within Merced County have been tested within its public health system, and those tests have either come back negative or are still outstanding, according to the update.
That number does not include additional testing through the commercial lab system, hospitals and clinics.
The county update also stated the Merced County Department of Public Health itself cannot test anyone for coronavirus. The department does facilitate transfer of specimens from high risk patients to the Public Health Laboratory system, although capacity is limited and reserved for the most high-risk patients.
Furthermore, the county specified that medical providers must collect specimens and submit them for testing. And while commercial labs have capacity to test lower risk patients, they are not collecting specimens at the lab sites.
“Emergency rooms are not accepting patients for testing only. Emergency rooms should only be used for medical emergencies. Asymptomatic residents cannot be tested at this time,” the county update stated.
Concerns in business community about coronavirus impacts
Many businesses that depend on local gatherings, particularly in sectors like the restaurant and entertainment industry, have reported concerns about how the growing pandemic will impact the economy and their workers.
Those concerns also exist locally. The Greater Merced Chamber of Commerce put out a news release over the weekend, asking Merced County residents to stand by local business owners to support the economy “in a safe and responsible way.”
“The virus is making a significant impact on our economy at large. If you need to buy products, please do so locally. For those that are shopping or dining at our local businesses, please be courteous and aware consumers. Our businesses and their employees are working tirelessly to meet the demands of our local shopping needs,” the release says.
“Our small businesses are doing all that they can to ensure their places of work are clean and open to support our community. This virus has put stress on our employers and their workforce in ways that will continue to unfold.”
This story was originally published March 15, 2020 at 4:49 PM with the headline "Merced County schools to close Thursday, in response to coronavirus threat, officials say."