SDN, March 16, 2020 News

Locals schools shut down in response to COVID-19

By Cindy Aguirre-Herrera

(Seguin) -- Today is the start of an extended Spring Break for local students. As reported all weekend long, the Seguin, Navarro and Marion ISDs have all cancelled classes this week in response to the COVID19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. All districts including Southwest Preparatory School, Lifegate Christian School and St. James Catholic School, will be closed March 16-20, 2020. All school events will also be cancelled during this time. Seguin ISD Superintendent Dr. Matthew Gutierrez says the decision was based entirely on the safety of students and staff. "The decision to temporarily close schools is not an easy one, and the closure impacts our entire community," said Gutierrez. This week's cancellation of classes also means the cancellation of all extracurricular activities including competitions and practices. Now to ensure the well being of all children as they remain away from campuses, Sean Hoffmann, the chief communications officer for the Seguin ISD, says the district is making sure that their kids eat. He says breakfast and lunch meals will be offered to all Seguin ISD students regardless of eligibility during the school closure. He says four campuses will serve as those sites. "The way that it is going to work in order to minimize exposure between staff and students is that the meals will be in a food truck and families can come and pick up the meal from the parking lot of those campuses and go. I was able to clarify -- we do have the labor that will allow us to provide meals to any of our students not just those who are on the free and reduced lunch programs so again, we will have those meals available at least until the food runs out for any of our students who are interested in visiting one of those four campuses," said Hoffmann. Meals can be picked up in the parking lots of Koennecke, McQueeney and Rodriguez Elementary Schools and Seguin High School. Breakfast will be served from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. followed by lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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GRMC lays out preparedness plan to defend community from suspected COVID-19

By Cindy Aguirre-Herrera (Seguin) -- Since there remains lots of questions about the novel coronavirus and COVID-19, the disease it causes, Guadalupe Regional Medical Center today is rolling out more information about the virus, in particular, how it hopes to combat or treat those should the virus scenario unfold here locally. GRMC today hopes to answer a number of those questions. First, what is COVID-19? Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person. The virus that causes COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus that was first identified during an investigation into an outbreak in Wuhan, China. Patients with COVID 19- have mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms of cough, fever, and shortness of breath. Some patients develop pneumonia and a small amount of these patients have fatal cases. Next, has anyone local tested positive for COVID-19? As of today, Monday, March 16, there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Seguin or Guadalupe County. To check the number of cases reported in Texas counties, GRMC officials advise that residents go online to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services website for daily updates. That website is available at https://www.dshs.texas.gov/news/updates. shtm#coronavirus. Most importantly, what is the hospital doing to prepare for COVID-19 arriving in our community? Guadalupe Regional Medical Center, according to officials, is carefully monitoring the COVID-19 outbreak and has a preparedness plan in place for identifying, triaging, and treating patients with suspected COVID-19. They say they are in close contact with the Texas Department of Health and Human Services (aka TDHHS) via a daily call and are monitoring Centers for Disease Control recommendations as the days continue. They say GRMC is actively partnering with local emergency responders and STRAC (South Texas Regional Advisory Council) on emergency preparedness in addition to communicating with the local medical community. They say GRMC is ready to activate emergency response measures if necessary. Hoffmann adds that all Seguin ISD buildings and facilities will also not be open for community use during this time period. All classes are expected to resume on Monday, March 23. Officials say should this date change, then they'll be sure to communicate further with their families through a variety of ways such as Seguin Radio KWED and the Seguin Daily News, social media sites, phone calls and on their website. Seguin's university, Texas Lutheran University, has announced that it will be closed through March 27. TLU officials say the week of March 23- 27 will be used for faculty to prepare to convert their classes to online classes. From March 30 to April 8, students will attend classes online. 2 WWW.SEGUINTODAY.COM MONDAY MARCH 16, 2020 Guadalupe Regional Medical Center relays FAQs on Coronavirus GRMC, continued from page 1 Next, how can people concerned about the virus get tested locally? There is not a quick and simple method to test for coronavirus widely available right now. A test for COVID-19 can only be ordered by a physician with preapproval by the Local Health Department or DSHS Public Health Region to ensure the patient meets Person Under Investigation (PUI) criteria for testing to obtain DSHS approval to test. They say for more information visit https://www.dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/healthprof.aspx or https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/hcp/clinicalcriteria.html. What should you do if you think you have COVID-19? If you are experiencing fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, and you have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19 or have traveled from an area with widespread or ongoing community spread of COVID-19 in the last 14 days, you should contact your health provider. If you plan to visit your doctor or local ER, inform their staff ahead of time about your symptoms as they may alter their usual visit practices during this time. How can I protect myself from getting COVID-19? Practicing proper hygiene is vital to containing the spread of COVID-19 since the illness is predominantly spread between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet) through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Wash your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds. Cover coughs and sneezes with the crook of your arm. It is important to avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. Forgo shaking hands with people for a while, they will understand. At this time, CDC believes that symptoms of COVID-19 may appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 days after exposure. People are thought to be the most contagious when they are they are most symptomatic (the sickest). GRMC reminds the public that it will continue to follow updated guidance from CDC/TDHHS for the management of Persons Under Investigation for COVID-19. They will also continue to follow CDC recommended methods of disinfecting the facility with a focus on high-touch areas. They remain committed to caring for its patients and staff by providing education on updated CDC recommendations for use of personal protective equipment and other infection control measures. They will also continue to educate the community on hygiene practices that support containment. GRMC officials remind the public that information that is released will be done regularly in hopes of keeping up with the situation that is rapidly evolving. Students to stay home one more week

Events, gatherings cancelled or postponed in area

By Cindy Aguirre-Herrera

(Seguin) -- As health leaders continue to help slow down the spread of COVID-19, many local groups and entities in Seguin and Guadalupe County have done their part to either close, cancel or postpone events that would attract group gatherings.

Seguin Radio KWED has established and will continue to update the community on a list of items that have officially been submitted to our office.

That list today includes:

All trials and court hearings at Seguin Municipal Court. Those have been cancelled through March 31. starting Tuesday, March 17. All services will be by appointment only. Please call 830-379-3299 to set up an appointment.

Relay For Life of Guadalupe County leaders are asked to postpone all planned events through the remainder of March.

The Knights of Columbus Pancake Breakfast scheduled for this coming weekend has been postponed.

The Carden International Circus is postponing its March 26 show in Seguin. The Seguin Public Library will also be closed now up until March 22. The Seguin Little League has postponed its season until April 6. Jail visitation at the Guadalupe County Jail has also been suspended until further notice. The Seguin Area Chamber of Commerce has postponed its annual Hotshot's Fish Fry Reunion scheduled for Friday, March 20. The Navarro ISD Facilities Planning Workshop scheduled for Monday, March 16 at 6 p.m. has been canceled. The Navarro ISD Board of Trustees will reschedule the workshop for a later date. The Navarro Town Hall meeting on the Superintendent scheduled for Thursday, March 19 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. has also been canceled. The Doug Herrle Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Chapter and Auxiliary Unit 61 in Seguin TX will have limited services The Seguin Youth Soccer Club has also chosen to wait to start its season practice until April 6. Those wishing to include an item to our list are asked to email cindy@kwed1580.com or to communitycalendar@kwed1580. com.