John Adams Middle School in Santa Monica reopened Monday, after the school was shut down last Friday following an outbreak of Novovirus..
In an official statement, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMUSD) thanked families for keeping their sick children at home, and following the precautionary methods outlines by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. (LACDPH)
The District is urging all families to follow the best practices set out below, created in conjunction with LACDPH. In its statement, the District said, the recommendations are designed to “limit exposure from school facilities and to limit exposure from those who have contracted the virus and are contagious.”
The recommendations are:
• Washing hands with soap and warm or cold water is critical to preventing the future spread of the virus. This is especially important after bathroom use and prior to eating. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has instructions to ensure effectiveness: www.cdc.gov/handwashing/show-me-the-science- handwashing.html
• If you have had symptoms associated with this virus (nausea or vomiting or diarrhea.) YOU MUST STAY HOME FOR 48 ADDITIONAL HOURS AFTER SYMPTOMS GO AWAY. Those affected are still contagious even when they feel healthy again. We understand this can put a lot of stress on a family when kids are home from school, however, it is important to not come back early and expose others to the virus while still contagious.
Additional information from CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/preventing-infection.html
If you have medical questions, please contact District Nurse, Lora Morn, lmorn@smmusd.org, or your health care provider. If your child is staying home with an illness or recovering from this virus, please call the attendance office each day they are absent.
Please, keep your student home until 48 hours after the symptoms go away to minimize further spread.
