Although the risk of infection of COVID-19, also known as novel coronavirus, to the general public remains low, local and state health organizations and school districts are ramping up in expectation that the illness is likely to spread.

“There are no cases in Idaho that we know about at this time,” Mike Larson, a nurse with Public Health — Idaho North Central District at Lewiston, said Monday. “But I guess the most important thing in reviewing the media that I saw from western Washington (is) where they have new cases over the weekend and they were not directly linked to international travel or other known causes. This may be now more community spread, person-to-person, in ways that we kind of knew would occur, but weren’t expecting it yet.”

Genesee School was closed Monday for deep cleaning, after students from Henry M. Jackson High School in Snohomish County, Wash., stayed there last week while attending the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival in Moscow. A student from Jackson High School was confirmed by Washington’s health department to have coronavirus, although the student did not attend the jazz festival and is not believed to have had any contact with any of the students who stayed at Genesee.

School also was canceled Monday in Troy as a precaution, though no Jackson High School students stayed at the school there. Students attending the jazz festival from Payette, Idaho, stayed at Troy High School.

Larson said the decision to close the schools Monday was “just a very good call to do some deep cleaning, even if it wasn’t a concern for coronavirus. … There’s no direct link to any known case to the students who were staying there, but I think it’s fabulous that they’re doing that. We’re still in the middle of influenza season, so there’s always a lot of things (going around). So doing some deep cleaning is just a fabulous idea.”

The Idaho Department of Education circulated a letter Monday to all school districts encouraging precautions to safeguard health and providing links to online information about recommended procedures and practices and current information about the disease.

A notice from the University of Idaho following the jazz festival said extra effort is being made by the university’s janitorial staff to disinfect all public areas regularly.

School nurses and administrators in Washington have been notified regarding the most current information. The Washington State Department of Health is also cautioning school officials to “remind your community that the risk of COVID-19 (coronavirus) is not at all connected with race, ethnicity or nationality. Stigma will not help to fight the illness.”

John Wiesman, head of the Washington health department, said in a prepared statement that there have been stories of discriminatory treatment of Asians in regard to the coronavirus outbreak.

“It’s important to remember that the risk to the general public in Washington of contracting novel coronavirus remains low,” Wiesman said. “You are much more likely to become sick with a cold or the flu than to be exposed to novel coronavirus. We encourage you to take reasonable steps to prevent the spread of germs, though not to the point of reinforcing false stigma, prejudice or blatant discrimination.”

Larson said public health’s biggest push right now will be for people to practice “good illness etiquette.”

“This is a virus that is appearing to spread the same way influenza does,” Larson said. “If you’re going to be out in public, avoid people who appear to be ill. If you are ill ... you probably should be staying home. If your illness becomes more severe than what you would expect from the common cold, or if you become severely ill, you want to contact your medical provider and seek care with them. ... If you’re developing signs of pneumonia, that’s when to contact your medical provider.”

Larson advised calling the medical provider first to make sure the staff is prepared to deal with whatever the condition is.

Kelli Hawkins, public information officer for the Spokane Regional Health District, said officials have been meeting every day to plan and prepare how to respond to the growing coronavirus situation.

“What we’re doing right now is writing up guidance materials, making sure our community partners are well prepared and making sure that they have supplies that they need if more people become sick than they’re used to,” Hawkins said.

Schools and senior centers are already well advised, she said, about how to respond to public health problems, including knowledge about cleaning buildings and practicing good personal hygiene to limit the spread of germs.

Brady Woodbury, public health administrator for Asotin County, added that preventing the coronavirus “is the same way you prevent the flu and other respiratory illnesses,” including keeping one’s distance from people who are sick “and washing your hands a lot.”

Woodbury said one of the things the health district wants to focus on is that when people are cleaning surfaces, simply applying sanitizer is not good enough. Dirty surfaces and dirty hands must be washed first before adding disinfectant, he said.

“There’s nothing extraordinary to recommend,” Woodbury said. “We know that it’s out there, and it’s spreading in the community.”

Anyone seeking more information from the Washington State Department of Health may visit its website at www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/Coronavirus/Resources.

Public Health – Idaho North Central District may be contacted online at www.idahopublichealth.com/.

Hedberg may be contacted at kathyhedberg@gmail.com or (208) 983-2326.