A suburban Chicago private school is making changes after several people became infected with the coronavirus. NBC 5’s Chris Coffey reports.
A preschool in west suburban Geneva has shut down parts of its facility as the result of eight positive COVID-19 cases involving staff and children.
Kensington School, 1776 W. State St., closed extra classrooms out of an abundance of caution, and several families have been advised for their children to quarantine, according to admissions director Patty Sherman.
“This is a time for early childhood facilities to be more vigilant as we see where the pandemic takes us,” she stated.
Sherman said she has not heard of any serious illnesses at the Geneva location, and that the spread appears to have been contained.
COVID cases among children are surging both nationwide and in the Chicago area.
According to the Kane County Health Department, 184 kids under the age of nine have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 30 days.
“We definitely, in general, are seeing more COVID cases in children just because they’re not vaccinated,” said Dr. Gina Song, a pediatrics specialist Northwestern Medicine.
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Song said kids with healthy immune systems should be able to fight off the virus, but you cannot predict who will have complications.
“We’re anticipating the vaccines for under 12 sometime this winter,” the doctor said. “I know that a lot organizations are pushing to have that vaccine approved sooner than later.”
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According to Song, children are currently experiencing illnesses other than COVID. But she urges parents to contact their child’s doctor and get screened for the virus if they are experiencing symptoms such as a runny nose, cough or cold, with or without a fever.
Song said if your child shows symptoms, be sure to wash your hands often, avoid kissing face-to-face and don’t share food or drinks.
Meanwhile, Sherman said the building in Geneva received a deep and thorough cleaning, and the plan is to safely reopen all of the classrooms on Aug. 31.
Sherman said children under two years of age wear masks at the school.
