As of March 2, eleven schools in Western Washington have closed due to concerns about the spread of Novel Coronavirus. This is following the second death in Washington, a man in his 70s living in the city of Kirkland. The schools have closed for a variety of reasons, but all are exercising caution to avoid the continued spread of the illness. One high school, Jackson High School in Mill Creek, has had a student with a positive diagnosis of COVID-19 and has since closed. Mariner High School and Discover Elementary School in the Mukilteo School District are closed due to a parent of a student testing positive for COVID-19. The student has yet to show symptoms. Many others are closed out of caution due to flu-like symptoms being present in students or students’ families, and are awaiting tests to confirm if COVID-19 is present. 

Update: The death count in Washington is now 11, and North Shore School District has closed starting today for a period of up to two weeks to offset the spread of the novel coronavirus.