Seattle’s Leschi Elementary School will be closed on Friday after more than 100 students and staff reported they had norovirus, a stomach virus that causes nausea, diarrhea and vomiting.
While the school is closed, custodians will disinfect the building, following recommendations from King County’s public-health department, according to a release from Seattle Public Schools.
The school is expected to open again on Monday. No other schools are dealing with an outbreak this large right now, the statement said.
District officials make the call to close a school when an abnormally high number of people get sick. Decatur Elementary School was closed for a day in March because of illnesses. A year ago, North Beach Elementary School also closed because of stomach viruses.
A spokesman for the district did not have an estimate of how many students versus staff were affected. Last school year, Leschi Elementary School enrolled 376 students.
When asked about other hospitalizations or outbreaks in the area, a spokesman for Public Health – Seattle & King County said he did not have more information as of Thursday evening.
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