Schools closed in Palm Beach County next week

CBS12 | by Gary Detman | Lizandra PortalFriday | March 13, 2020

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Palm Beach County schools will be closed for the next two weeks due to the coronavirus crisis, Superintendent Donald Fennoy announced Friday.

The news came as Palm Beach County issued a state of emergency on Friday, in response to the coronavirus crisis.

Florida Health Palm Beach County Director Dr. Alina Alonso said the emergency declaration allows the county to work with providers to increase the availability of COVID-19 tests.

A spokeswoman for Palm Beach International Airport addressed the incident involving a coronavirus-infected traveler who flew into West Palm Beach from JFK.

Concourse A, since then, has been closed to the public to be sanitized. It’s set to reopen on Sunday morning.

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue said dispatchers will be asking additional questions to people who call for help, in an effort to determine possible coronavirus situations. The contact crews have with potential coronavirus patients will be limited for the protection of the public and personnel.

County leaders say early voting for the Florida primary will continue, and that election day on Tuesday will go on as planned.