ATLANTA, GA — Atlanta Public Schools is taking precaution in case of an outbreak of the new coronavirus, reports WGCL. The new Coronavirus virus, which originated in China is now called COVID-19. It's caused by a member of the Coronavirus that's a close cousin to the SARS and MERS viruses .

In a statement to the news station, APS said it's "closely monitoring all developments" for the virus. "...we take this and any other health-related concern very seriously. District officials will remain in close contact with local, state, and federal agencies – such as the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE), the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH), the Fulton County Board of Health (BOH), and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for the latest information on this disease.



In this case, many of the decisions and plans around quarantines or school closures will be led by the federal government with assistance from state emergency management officials. We have received guidance from those agencies and are incorporating key components into the District's emergency management practices. We will provide updated information to students, families and District employees as we receive directives from local, state, and federal health officials. To stay abreast of emerging health news in APS, click here to visit our health alerts page." If schools do close, APS says they will launch APS WeatherWise, their online learning platform. It's designed to prevent learning loss by supplementing missed classroom time during emergency management situations through technology.