SEATTLE — Leschi Elementary School is closed Friday due to a norovirus outbreak, Seattle Public Schools announced Thursday.
District officials told KIRO 7 more than 100 staff members and students reported being sick on Thursday.
The school has just over 400 students.
The school reopened Monday.
The King County Department of Health requires that no staff or students be present in the building during cleaning. The school will be deep-cleaned Friday.
A cleaning crew of 11 people, most of them in masks or full hazmat suits spent Thursday night and Friday spraying every surface with an EPA-approved cleaner, then wiping everything down.
“Wiping it down, getting into every nook and cranny, all the corners, everything. Replacing al the filters, just doing a complete thorough deep cleaning,” said Tim Robinson, a spokesperson for Seattle Public Schools.
A teacher came by the school on Friday to pick up the classroom pet guinea pigs to keep them safe from the harsh cleaners being used
She said she and her daughter, who also goes to school there, both got sick.
“I got a call from the nurse saying she was down in the nurses office. And when I went to pick her up, there was every bed, every chair filled. It was like whoa what’s going on down here? So that was the big day when everyone kind of went, uh oh,” said Jamillah (jah-MEE-lah) Bomani, who teaches fourth and fifth-grade literacy.
More than 100 kids & staff sick with norovirus at Leschi Elementary has the school closed today! 😮🦠
— Deedee Sun (@DeedeeKIRO7) December 13, 2019
And see that man in a hazmat suit?? A team of 11 people are scrubbing and spraying down *every surface inside today.
Guinea pigs evacuated too. 🐹
Wash your hands!! #KIRO7 6p pic.twitter.com/dFFAp0uj3O
“We anticipate the school will reopen on Monday,” district officials said.
Norovirus is a contagious virus that easily spreads and causes vomiting and diarrhea.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, you can get norovirus from:
-Having direct contact with an infected person.
-Consuming contaminated food or water.
-Touching contaminated surfaces and then putting your unwashed hands in your mouth
Click here for more information on how to prevent norovirus from the CDC.
Health officials say you can still spread the virus two to three days after your symptoms stop, and should stay home during that time.
You can kill the virus at your home by cleaning with a mix of 1/3 cup of bleach mixed with a gallon of water
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