Public Health — Seattle & King County issued the following statement late Wednesday night after the Northshore School District announced the closure of Bothell High School on Thursday, Feb. 27 because of concerns about novel coronavirus (COVID-19):

We understand that the Northshore School District is choosing to close Bothell High School on February 27, 2020 to clean the building because they are concerned about novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Closing schools when there has not been a confirmed case in a student or staff member is not currently recommended by Public Health — Seattle & King County or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Though this closure is not necessary from a public health point of view, we know that school districts act out of extra special caution when they are protecting children. And the school knows its community best and is in charge of making decisions about the school.

Public Health will continue to provide guidance to the Northshore School District and will provide any support that we can.

There are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Washington state or King County. Furthermore, no staff or students are suspected of being infected with this virus in the Northshore School District. There has been only one confirmed case in Washington state, in January 2020, and that person has fully recovered.

The situation with coronavirus is rapidly evolving outside of the United States. Local, state and federal officials are monitoring, investigating, tracking down and isolating any suspected cases.

We will continue to communicate with King County residents about their risk for coronavirus as the situation evolves. Currently, the health risk for COVID-19 in the United States is considered low to the general public and to Washingtonians.

For more information please visit Public Health’s COVID-19 website