DC, Michigan, Oregon join growing list of school closings amid coronavirus fears

Officials in Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington, D.C., have shuttered all K-12 schools, following the lead of a couple of other states amid the continued spread of the coronavirus.

According to Education Week, “at least 10,600 schools have been closed or are scheduled to close, affecting at least 4.9 million students,” as of Thursday evening.

The announced duration of the school closings has varied from state to state. New Mexico, Ohio and Michigan schools are closed for the next three weeks, while schools in Oregon and Maryland are closed for the next two weeks.

Washington, D.C., announced early Friday that its public schools would be closed for two weeks starting Monday.

DC UPDATE: DC Public Schools will close and practice distance learning for two weeks starting Monday, 3/16; DC Gov will go to telework thru 4/1; libraries will also close during this time. Mayor Bowser to provide briefing at noon today (3/13). pic.twitter.com/a7s2quB4Z5

— CM McDuffie’s Office (@CM_McDuffie) March 13, 2020

Of these states, Oregon has the most reported cases of the virus, at 24, and borders Washington state, the most affected area of the U.S.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) said in a release late Thursday that “it has now become impossible to functionally operate schools due to workforce issues and student absences.”

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) called the closures a “necessary step.”

In the U.S., there have been more than 1,700 diagnoses of COVID-19, with at least 40 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.