North Bay school to reopen after 'deep cleaning' amid coronavirus concern

In this image from a scanning electron microscope, the new coronavirus is in orange. In this image from a scanning electron microscope, the new coronavirus is in orange. Photo: Elizabeth Fischer / Courtesy NiAID Photo: Elizabeth Fischer / Courtesy NiAID Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close North Bay school to reopen after 'deep cleaning' amid coronavirus concern 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

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UPDATE: The private Healdsburg School in Sonoma County plans reopen Tuesday, March 3, after closing today for a deep cleaning to address coronavirus concerns, said Dr. Celeste Philip, Sonoma County's health officer, at a Monday afternoon news conference.

The K-8 independent school doesn't have a confirmed case, but a person associated with the school had contact outside the school with an infected patient.

Out of precaution, the school closed Monday and contacted public health officials for instructions on how to proceed.

"Based on their protocols and recommendations we are pleased to announce that school will be open tomorrow," Andy Davies, head of school, wrote in a statement. "We take school closure seriously and made this decision with an abundance of caution."

There's no current plan to close schools in Sonoma County, according to the Sonoma Office of Education.

(Note: This story initially inaccurately stated that county health officials said an infected patient attended an event at the school. This was not the case.)

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An independent K-8 school in the North Bay closed Monday, March 2, because a person associated with the school came into contact with an infected coronavirus patient.

The Healdsburg School said it does not have a confirmed case but school officials learned late Sunday evening that an adult member of the community, not an employee, had been exposed to a confirmed case of coronavirus.

"We were not able to confer with Public Health last night or early this morning as the agency was closed," the school said in a statement. "At 6:15 this morning we made the cautious decision to close school for today."

The school is in the process of contacting public health officials on how to proceed.

Amy Graff is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com.

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