Northern California’s largest school district cancels classes amid coronavirus fears

The largest school district in Northern California, the Elk Grove Unified School District, canceled classes and sports games through Friday after a family associated with the Elk Grove Unified School District was exposed to the new coronavirus and placed on quarantine to see if they were infected with coronavirus and would get sick.

All school activities were also canceled, though officials stressed there were no confirmed cases linked to the school.

The move comes as schools across California are responding to coronavirus.

Murrieta school officials said 71 students have been placed in self-quarantine after a school employee was tested for the coronavirus.

The employee had recently been to a country where the coronavirus was spreading, according to the Murrieta Valley Unified School District, which said Murrieta Valley High School would be closed Monday and cleaned.

Stanford University said Friday night that it will move classes online for the final two weeks of the winter quarter. Stanford also said large events would be “canceled or adjusted.”

USC said Friday that it would conduct lectures and seminars online rather than in classrooms for three days next week as a test should it be forced to suspend in-person contact.

San Francisco’s Lowell High School announced it would close and cancel events and gatherings for at least the rest of the week after it was learned that a relative of one of its students is being treated for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

In San Jose, a preschool closed after a teacher tested positive for the virus. An Oakland charter school was closed through the end of the week because of a possible exposure, and an exclusive private school in Atherton will be closed through the weekend after a potential exposure of someone connected to the school.