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If confirmed cases of coronavirus disease turn up in Nebraska cities and towns, schools may have to cancel large events or dismiss classes for 14 days or longer, according to new federal guidelines.

Schools then might consider canceling or postponing after-school assemblies and pep rallies, field trips and sporting events, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

School officials should plan for how they would teach kids during a closure, the CDC said, such as providing lessons online. They also should think about how to deal with children who don’t have the Internet or computers at home.

The guidance comes days after Omaha-area school district officials heard from a local infectious disease expert who said they would need to cancel large gatherings and possibly close schools if the coronavirus began to spread in the community.

Dr. James Lawler of the Global Center for Health Security on the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus said that as the number of cases increased — but before 1% of the community’s population tested positive for the virus — large gatherings would have to be canceled.