Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Dear Colleagues,
Given the recent news that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is recommending Americans prepare for the likely spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the department is encouraging you to update your pandemic plans. You should consider what your district’s response might be if an outbreak of a communicable disease affects your community. Based on the lessons learned from the 2009-2010 H1N1 pandemic, you should consider planning for the possibility of disruptions to school, work, and general life activities.
We do not know if Wisconsin will see a pandemic. It is important to note imported cases of COVID-19 in travelers have been detected in the United States and that person-to-person spread of COVID-19 has also been seen among close contacts of returned travelers from Wuhan, but at this time, this virus is NOT currently spreading in Wisconsin.
Moving forward, we want to make sure you are aware of the following resources on the DPI SARS-CoV2 webpage. This site is regularly updated to reflect the current situation with this novel coronavirus being monitored by the CDC. This site includes information such as:
- A Frequently Asked Question document created by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and links to current CDC recommendations, including travel alerts.
- Messages to share with parents and staff.
- A pandemic planning template for school districts.
To get the latest information being sent to school nurses, contact State School Nurse/Health Services Consultant Louise Wilson at louise.wilson@dpi.wi.gov or (608) 266-8857. Please also feel free to contact Louise if you have any questions regarding COVID-19.