Students at Reno area school being tested for coronavirus

RENO — Washoe County health officials said late Friday that the coronavirus tests conducted on students at a Reno elementary school came back negative, including the relative of a man who tested positive for COVID-19.

The county officials earlier in the day declined to say how many students were tested, citing patient confidentiality rules. They said the county was also monitoring other individuals who might have been exposed elsewhere but indicated that there is a “very low risk” for the virus spreading through the community.

“Parents, students and staff can rest assured that there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at Huffaker Elementary School,” Washoe County School District Interim Superintendent Kristen McNeill said in a statement.

The unidentified man in his 50s who tested positive in an initial test for the disease was a passenger on a cruise ship that is now in quarantine off San Francisco. He is self-isolating at home and is reported in stable condition. The state is waiting on confirmation of those results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The man’s young relative attends Huffaker Elementary School, which was closed as a precaution Friday for cleaning and further testing by the county.

It was unclear whether other relatives of the man were at the school. The school district earlier Friday had said that the patient had family members at the school in a notice to parents and staff.

Family members on cruise ship

Kevin Dick, district health officer for the Washoe County Health District, confirmed during a news conference Friday morning that some of the man’s family members were on the cruise ship with him but declined to disclose how many family members or their relationships with the man.

Dick added that there are no confirmed cases of the disease at the school as of Friday.

He said that the school was seeing higher rates of influenza-like symptoms in recent weeks but that there were no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the school as of Friday morning. He said that closing the school was done “out of an abundance of caution” and that those students showing symptoms would be tested for coronavirus.

“I think the the positive news at this point is that this is a travel-related case that we’ve identified and we have not yet identified any community transmission,” Dick said.

He said county health officials were searching for people who recently had visited any of the five countries where “significant active transmission” of COVID-19 is occurring: China, Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan.

“We are asking that if we have any travelers that are returning from those five countries that they self-isolate and they contact the health district, so that we can work with them on his own risk assessment and monitoring,” he said. “For passengers that were on the cruise ship, those have been identified to the health department, and we are working with them on their self-isolation and monitoring.”

The protocol for such possible cases is 14 days in isolation, he said. Dick said he did not know where the Reno cruise passengers disembarked or how they traveled back to the area.

No guidance for event organizers

The outbreak has caused numerous closures and cancellations of conferences, sporting events and other large gatherings in Southern Nevada and across the country. South by Southwest, the annual festival that attracts tens of thousands of music, tech and pop culture fans to Austin, Texas from across the globe, announced Friday that it was cancelling its 2020 show that was slated to kick off next week.

Dick said that Washoe County is not currently directing any large events to make changes at this point.

“I think that people need to be using their own judgment and making decisions about what they want to do,” Dick said. “At this point it’s a personal decision about where somebody wants to travel and the events that are going on. We will continue to monitor and assess the situation in our community.”

McNeill, the district interim superintendent, said that the district was notified about the positive case late Thursday and that the health district requested closure of the school Friday out of caution. She said that a deep-cleaning team was sent there Thursday night to disinfect the school building.

Dick urged the community to stay vigilant when it comes to preventing the spreading of disease, specifically to ensure they are washing their hands as often as possible.

“I’d like everyone in the community to become germaphobes,” Dick said.

‘Anticipated impact on schools’

Gov. Steve Sisolak issued a statement Friday morning saying his “heart goes out” to the Reno patient and that he intends to seek additional resources to help the state identify and prevent the spread of the disease.

“I encourage all Nevadans not to panic, but to take this seriously and to stay informed as updates on this developing situation become available,” Sisolak said. “As we are now experiencing the anticipated impact on our local schools, I am in daily contact with the state superintendent and education leaders, and we continue to work in partnership with the districts to prioritize the health of our students, education staff and their families, and ensure that the state serves as a resource to provide the necessary support.”

Jhone Ebert, Nevada superintendent of public instruction, said that the state Education Department is working with local school district leaders on preparation and contingency plans and has created a set of recommendations to help them address concerns regarding the virus.

Contact Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638. Follow @coltonlochhead on Twitter. Contact Bill Dentzer at bdentzer@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-0661. Follow @Dentzernews on Twitter.