Schools and colleges preparing for potential of Coronavirus

BOWLING GREEN Ky.-Talk of the Coronavirus, just like the disease itself, has been spreading.

While there are no cases currently in Kentucky, even high school students have caught wind of the situation.

“When I first heard about the Coronavirus, I thought it was a very scary issue. I heard it everywhere on the news, it was spreading throughout China and all over the world,” said Glasgow High School sophomore Jessica Mansfield.

For this reason, school officials at local schools like Glasgow High School are telling students and staff to be conscious about personal hygiene, especially now.

“It is scary, but from what I understand, it’s a virus like any other. It spreads basically the same way. As long as you keep yourself well and take standard precautions like frequent hand washing. If you’re having symptoms, stay home. That’s what I tell my students,” said Glasgow High School nurse and health science teacher Amy Bowman.

Higher education is also affected. At Western Kentucky University, the study abroad programs in China and South Korea have been suspended. Associate provost of WKU’s global learning and international affairs, John Sunnygard, said students have concerns.

“We have students and faculty and staff who are traveling all over the world, so we pay very close attention not only to the locations where it’s occurring, but some of the transit points in between,” Sunnygard said,

Sunnygard said the situation is all the more reason to stay informed.

“The world is still very much out there, and we need to be engaged in it. Nothing makes that clearer than something that’s going on like the Coronavirus,” Sunnygard said.