Health Notice – UPDATE

Erin Bennett

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Dear Families,

As you are likely aware, on Tuesday, February 25th, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) gave a press conference updating the country on the current status of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

As the CDC emphasized, there is not currently a coronavirus pandemic in the United States. A pandemic occurs when a disease is spreading from a variety of sources across a large region, and the number of cases across the U.S. is still small. However, given how quickly the global situation is evolving, we are monitoring new developments and will continue to reevaluate our steps and actions daily.

Kehillah’s Crisis Response Team is closely following the guidelines recommended by the CDC, the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department, Joffe Emergency Services, the National Association of Independent Schools, and the California Association of Independent Schools. We are thinking ahead regarding the potential impact on our current and upcoming class trips and other non-typical school activities, in the context of the coronavirus. We are also closely monitoring the situation in the cities where class trips take place. At this time, we have no planned changes to class trips. We will communicate any updates as needed.

In the meantime, Kehillah is taking the following steps to ensure the safety of our staff and students to help minimize the spread of infectious disease:

• Encouraging proper hygiene, like washing hands thoroughly and covering up coughs /sneezes.
• Asking all faculty, staff, and students who are showing any flu-like symptoms to stay home. A fever must be broken for at least 24 hours without the aid of a fever reducer.
• Recommending any immunocompromised students or family members to stay at home.
• Preparing trip leaders with sanitary wipes for airplane and bus travel as well as hand sanitizer for general use.
• Staying in constant communication with trip providers.

It is important to remember that handling the spread of a serious contagion like the coronavirus is primarily a task for public health agencies. We will be attentive to any directives from the World Health Organization, CDC, or local governmental organizations, and trust that all Kehillah families will join us in following their lead.

In times like this, we are particularly grateful for the strength and togetherness of this community.

Sincerely,

Darren Kleinberg & Patti Carbery