Why did shutdown of Seattle Public Schools increase from 2 to 6 weeks?

March 13, 2020 8:16 AM

On Wednesday, March 12, Seattle Public Schools announced that schools would be closed for at least two weeks. On Thursday, March 13, Washington state governor Jay Inslee ordered the closure of all King County public schools (including Seattle Public Schools) for a minimum of six weeks. Why was the closure extended by a month one day after it was first announced? Disagreement between state and local authorities? New information regarding the spread of the virus? Some other reason?
posted by lumpy to Health & Fitness (5 answers total)

I believe the governor is making these decisions based on the science of how the disease spreads, the goal being to minimize people being in close contact and spreading COVID-19 to others. I teach on the east side of the state and figure it is only a matter of time before we face a closure as well. As a librarian I'm working on a take-home informational sheet for the kids to so they know how to access books online, etc.

I don't think there is anything nefarious going on...just an abundance of caution.
posted by OkTwigs at 8:27 AM on March 13, 2020 [7 favorites]

Mod note: To the extent that this is answerable it's a pretty narrow "does anyone have specific insight into WA state decision-making on this", so let's aim to keep it to that if it's available and otherwise leave more general speculation to more appropriate place.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:38 AM on March 13, 2020 [5 favorites]

Yesterday a new study indicated that the virus can be shed by recovered individuals for 37 days after they appear recovered, and that the previously indicated isolation periods of 14 or 21 days are likely insufficient.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 11:18 AM on March 13, 2020 [2 favorites]

The Seattle Times reports that

Inslee’s Friday announcement followed new recommendations from the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention that suggest short-term school closures may have no impact on the magnitude or trajectory of spread of the coronavirus. Closing school for eight to 20 weeks may help curb the virus, though other strategies — such as encouraging frequent hand-washing — are likely more effective, the CDC guidance says.

This working paper from the Institute for Disease Modeling also reportedly influenced the school closure decisions.
posted by mbrubeck at 5:06 PM on March 13, 2020 [4 favorites]

Yesterday a new study indicated that the virus can be shed by recovered individuals for 37 days after they appear recovered.

Whoa. That is not what the study says. The 37 days is from time of onset in people who survived, not time of recovery.
posted by stefanie at 7:46 AM on March 14, 2020 [3 favorites]