© AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana A school staff member wears a mask during a class at Jakarta Nanyang School in Serpong on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, March 3, 2020.

NEW JERSEY – State health officials issued a long list of coronavirus outbreak guidelines for New Jersey schools and colleges this week now that the case total continues to climb in the United States.

The New Jersey Department of Health said it is "working hard" to get ahead of an outbreak by developing guidance and education materials should this new virus impact the state's residents.

So far, no cases of the coronavirus have been diagnosed in New Jersey, but the state has investigated at least eight potential ones.

Schools are required to provide 180 days of instruction each year for grades K-12. But if an outbreak happens, schools may have to close.

One of the guidelines is that education will likely have to move to your home. School attendance would also be flexible. Travel would be restricted. Read more: Rutgers Cancels All Study Abroad Due To Coronavirus Fears

"Public health and healthcare systems may become overloaded, with elevated rates of hospitalizations and deaths," the DOH says. "Other critical infrastructure, such as law enforcement, emergency medical services, and transportation industry may also be affected. Health care providers and hospitals may be overwhelmed."

Here are the some of the most noteworthy recommendations if an outbreak occurs, including :

Schools are not expected to screen students or staff to identify cases of COVID-19.

Students with fever, cough or difficulty breathing should be placed away from others and asked to wear a face mask until they can be sent home.

Prepare to offer home instruction to students.

Implement flexible attendance and sick leave policies.

Schools should be prepared to offer alternate instruction while a student is quarantined. Please consult NJDOE regarding home instruction.

During school dismissals, childcare programs and schools may stay open for staff (if not ill) while students stay home.

Any person or group planning a trip outside of the United States should consult the CDC website for current travel advisories regarding any restrictions on travel. The situation is evolving.

The NJDOH acknowledged that many childcare centers, school administrators, teachers and parents within New Jersey "are concerned about how the current outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) will impact their communities and wish to take appropriate steps to mitigate any risks."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also is working hard to learn as much as possible about the coronavirus so it can better understand how it spreads, the DOH says.

"More cases are likely to be identified in the coming days, including more cases in the United States," the DOH says. "It’s likely that person-to-person spread will continue to occur, including in the United States."

Here's how the state Department of Health has outlined it's guidelines:

How should schools prepare for the potential of a coronavirus outbreak in their community?

Review and update or develop your outbreak response/pandemic plan and share with stakeholders before an outbreak occurs.

Establish procedures to ensure students and staff who become sick at school or arrive at school sick are sent home as soon as possible.

Prepare for the potential of school closures or dismissals or cancellation of school events.

Prepare to offer home instruction to students.

Implement flexible attendance and sick leave policies.

Establish relationships with local public health officials and identify points of contact.

Create emergency communication plans and maintain up-to-date contact information for everyone in your communication chain.

Establish leadership teams, identify essential staff functions and assign tasks and responsibilities.

Plan workshops and trainings to educate staff on prevention measures.

Continue to monitor current information from health officials.

What should a school do when a student or staff presents with symptoms of COVID-19?

If a community (or, more specifically, a school) has cases of COVID-19, local health officials will help identify those individuals and will follow up on next steps.

Schools are not expected to screen students or staff to identify cases of COVID-19.

Students with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing should be placed away from others and asked to wear a face mask until they can be sent home.

Staff members should be sent home and advised to seek medical advice.

Notify your local health department with any questions or concern about an ill student at www.localhealth.nj.gov.

Will schools be asked to close if there is a COVID-19 outbreak in the community?

Non pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) are strategies that can be used when other measures like treatment or vaccines are not available to combat an emerging illness with pandemic potential.

School closures and school dismissals are two recommended strategies to limit transmission within the community.

During school dismissals, childcare programs and schools may stay open for staff (if not ill) while students stay home. This allows teachers to develop and deliver lessons remotely and for other staff to continue to provide services.

Schools may be asked to close preemptively or reactively; therefore, schools should be making plans for what to do if there are recommendations for closing schools or cancelling events.

Childcare and school administrators should work closely with local health officials when making decisions on dismissals or closures.

What if a student/staff recently returned from travel to a country (other than China) where a travel alert has been issued?

The CDC has issued travel advisories for several countries. Details can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html.

The CDC is not recommending that these individuals be screened or monitored and should not be excluded from work.

If a student or staff member have traveled to one of the countries listed on the CDC website, they should:

Notify the school so precautions can be taken if they become ill in school.

Monitor their health for fever or cough, or have difficulty breathing.

If they feel sick, they should stay home until they are fever-free for 24 hours without fever reducing medication.

If they have a fever and other respiratory symptoms, they should seek medical advice.

Call ahead before you go to a doctor’s office or emergency room. Tell them about your recent travel and your symptoms.

Avoid contact with others.

Do not travel while sick.

Cover their mouth and nose with a tissue or their sleeve (not their hands) when coughing or sneezing.

Clean their hands often by washing them with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains 60 – 95 percent alcohol immediately after coughing, sneezing or blowing their nose.

Soap and water should be used if hands are visibly dirty.

If there is a student or staff member who recently returned from China in the past 14 days, should they be excluded from work or school?

Travelers returning from mainland China will undergo a health screening and up to 14 days of self-quarantine with health monitoring to ensure they have not contracted the virus and do not pose a public health risk.

All asymptomatic (without symptoms) students/staff under monitoring must be excluded from work and school for 14 days from their last date in China.

Travelers will be asked to self-quarantine and self-monitor as directed by public health recommendations and to seek care if ill.

Schools should be prepared to offer alternate instruction while student is quarantined. Please consult NJDOE regarding home instruction.

When can a student or staff member return to school/work after being quarantined or self-isolated?

Travelers who have been quarantined for 14 days and have remained asymptomatic may return to school unless they meet other criteria for school exclusion.

Is a physician letter required for the student to return to school after their monitoring period is complete?

Returning travelers under monitoring are not being monitored by their healthcare provider. If a letter is requested, the monitoring agreement the individual or guardian signs would serve as proof that the monitoring period is complete.

Students are going for spring break: Can they still go?

Prior to traveling, individuals should consider the potential risks that may be involved in visiting their destination, including risk of transmission as well as the risk of quarantine upon returning.

Destinations experiencing sustained community transmission should be avoided.

Any person or group planning a trip outside of the United States should consult the CDC website for current travel advisories regarding any restrictions on travel.

The situation is evolving. Stay up to date with CDC’s travel health notices related to this outbreak at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html. These notices will be updated as more information becomes available.

Do school events need to be canceled?

At this time, there is no need to cancel school or social events.

Students should be reminded that part of good respiratory hygiene is staying home from events when they are ill.

If COVID-19 is occurring in your community, public health may recommend modifying, postponing, or cancelling mass gatherings.

What preventive measures should a school take to help reduce the spread of respiratory illness including COVID-19 and the flu?

NJDOH recommends that schools and childcare settings increase education on respiratory hygiene.

Staff and children (as developmentally appropriate) should all be taught and asked to follow these steps that prevent the transmission of respiratory infections:

Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or into your sleeve, not your hands.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

Wash hands often for at least 20 seconds, especially after coughing or sneezing.

Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.

Stay home if you’re sick, especially with a fever.

Avoid people who are sick.

Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects.

Additional preventive measures include:

Continue to monitor students and staff who my exhibit respiratory symptoms.

Adhere to exclusion recommendations from public health. For acute respiratory illness: fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication. Doctors notes for return do not supersede public health recommendations.

Separate sick students and staff from others until they can be picked up to go home.

Provide adequate supplies, including clean and functional hand-washing stations, soap, paper towels, and alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Encourage routine surface cleaning through education, policy, and the provision of supplies.

Get a flu shot – it’s not too late to be protected!

School Cleaning Procedures: