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Rockland County has confirmed its coronavirus cases have risen to six — three of them East Ramapo students and all Ramapo residents — with hundreds of students under voluntary quarantine.

The infections are all connected with exposures of a pair of caterers that occurred at a New Rochelle bat mitzvah in late February, the county Health Department said Tuesday.

All of the district's schools and the administration building will remain closed Wednesday for sanitizing and as a continuity plan in formalized.

Hundreds of students, teachers and other residents are being instructed to go into a 14-day "precautionary quarantine." The order falls under state Department of Health guidelines for anyone who has had "proximate exposure" but not direct contact with an infected person, according to John Lyon, spokesman for County Executive Ed Day.

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CORONAVIRUS: Three East Ramapo schools close after students test positive

Three East Ramapo schools — Ramapo High School, Pomona Middle School and Hempstead Elementary School — will remain closed through March 21 so the buildings can be cleaned and officials can monitor the situation, county and school district officials said.

Anyone who spent time in those schools on or after Friday, March 6, must self-quarantine.

“These schools are now considered potential exposure sites and anyone who visited the schools on the exposure dates may have been exposed to COVID-19 and must precautionary quarantine for 14 days," Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert said. "This includes all faculty, staff, students, visitors and parents who spent time within the schools.”

Hempstead has an enrollment of about 557 children in grades K-6. Pomona Middle School has some 600 seventh- and eighth-graders, and Ramapo High School has 1,300 students.

The county Health Department is relying on the school district to stay in contact with quarantined students, teachers and staff to ensure they're following the state's guidelines.

East Ramapo's closures could become even broader if tests on students at Spring Valley High School and Chestnut Ridge Middle School come back positive.

Updated numbers of individuals under quarantine are not available due to the rapidly changing nature of this situation, the county stated.

East Ramapo is a high-needs district where many parents rely on the schools to provide breakfast and lunches for their kids.

The Martin Luther King Multi-Purpose Center in Spring Valley will hold a previously scheduled food pantry night, said Executive Director Nathan Mungin, but the center has been in touch with the schools that closed for quarantine to let those families know they cannot attend.

The center is following state Health Department guidelines on coronavirus and screening people who show up for illnesses, he said.

Finkelstein Memorial Library in Spring Valley announced all children's and teen programming has been cancelled through the end of March due to concerns about COVID-19.

What 'precautionary quarantine' means

You must stay away from other people for the entire quarantine period.

You cannot go to work, school, religious services or any other public place. You should not have guests in your home.

As much as possible, you should stay in a specific room and away from other people in your home.

You should use a separate bathroom, if available. If you need to share a bathroom, you must clean the bathroom after you use it every time.

You should wear a face mask when you are around other people (e.g., sharing a room or vehicle) or pets and before you enter a health care provider’s office. If you are not able to wear a face mask (for example, because it causes trouble breathing), then people who live with you should not stay in the same room with you, or they should wear a face mask if they enter your room.

Food and other items that you need should be left outside your room door.

You should not share dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, or bedding with other people or pets in your home. After using these items, they should be washed thoroughly with soap and water.

You should restrict activities outside your home, except for getting medical care. If you feel sick, call your private physician for further guidance.

Potential wider exposure

The county is getting its message about coronavirus precautions out to Ramapo's yeshivas the same way it did during the 2019 measles outbreak that was mainly centered on the Orthodox Jewish community.

Owners of two properties where exposure may have occurred at three recent gatherings— The Atrium, a wedding and reception hall on Route 59 in Monsey; and a private residence 150 Remsen Ave. in Monsey — also have been instructed to have attendees go into precautionary quarantine if they meet the state guidelines.

Rockland County itself, which employs more than 1,700 people, has issued guidelines to staff and individual departments were finalizing emergency management plans, Lyon said. The county is doing extra cleaning at its facilities, he said.

Robert Brum is a Rockland County-based reporter and editor. For subscriber-only Rockland County news, visit offers.lohud.com to sign up for a subscription. To subscribe to The Rockland Angle, a nightly email newsletter exclusively for Rockland County news, features and other essential information, visit lohud.com/newsletters, check the Rockland Angle” box and submit your email address.

Twitter: @Bee_bob