MCH Community Information on COVID-19 - Updated Information for 3/7/20

Thank you for your patience today as we worked with our attorney and Public Health to determine the nature of information we are allowed to share with you. I want you to know that I truly understand that it has been stressful for families to not know more specific information. These new rules may also feel confusing, when combined with our regular guidance on illness.
Per Public Health guidance and at the instruction of our attorney, we are required to uphold HIPPA privacy law and are unable to share which classroom the child is connected to.
We want to gently, yet firmly, remind everyone that this it is a parent in our community that tested positive for COVID-19, not one of the students. This parent has not been on our campus for several weeks and their child has not been on campus since last Friday, Feb. 28th, 2020. Additionally, no one else in the family has shown any symptoms of illness and are in self-quarantine for the recommended 14-day period.
It’s also important to remember the following already published information:

What to do if you were potentially exposed to someone with confirmed COVID-19

First, know that you generally need to be in close contact with someone with COVID-19 to get infected. Close contact includes scenarios like living with or caring for a person with confirmed COVID-19, being within six feet of a person with confirmed COVID-19 for about 10 minutes, or if someone with COVID-19 coughed on you, kissed you, shared utensils with you or you had direct contact with their body secretions.

If you may have had close contact with a person with COVID-19 but are not sick
▪Monitor your health for fever, cough and shortness of breath for 14 days after your last contact with the ill person.
▪Do not go to school or work. Avoid public places for 14 days.

If you are a close contact of a person with confirmed COVID-19 and are sick
▪If you are sick with fever, cough, or shortness of breath, even if your symptoms are mild, isolate yourself.
▪If you are at higher risk for severe illness (over 60, with underlying health conditions such as heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes), have a weakened immune system or are pregnant) call your health care provider. They may want to test you for COVID-19.
▪If you have symptoms but are not in a high-risk category, talk with your health care provider. They will help you determine if you need to be evaluated.”
▪Source: https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/news/2020/March/5-suspected-covid.aspx 

​Finally, the Public Health number is 206-477-3977. Should you have questions about you or your child’s health please do not hesitate to reach out to this number and ask questions.

​We hope this information answers your questions.