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UPDATE (March 5, 2020) — Eastern Hancock Schools will be open on Friday, March 6 according to an announcement by the district.

UPDATE (March 4, 2020) — The district has canceled school for Thursday as well as crews continue to clean.

Original story:

HANCOCK COUNTY, Ind. — A central Indiana school district is canceling classes after seeing a high absence rate due to illnesses.

The Community School Corporation of Eastern Hancock County said it is canceling classes Wednesday and will have an eLearning day for all students. The announcement comes due to student and staff illness concerns.

The school district has experienced high absence and illness numbers due to bronchitis, strep throat, Influenza A and Influenza B. The district plans to use Wednesday to clean the school to try to prevent the spread of illness.

Along with the e-Learning day, the district is canceling all after-school activities for Wednesday and all events except for the sectional basketball game at Hagerstown and the wrestling match at New Palestine for Tuesday.

The CDC says the best wat to prevent seasonal flu is to get vaccinated. They also suggest the following tips to protect yourself and others from illness and stop the spread of germs.

  1. Avoid close contact.
    Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.
  2. Stay home when you are sick.
    If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. This will help prevent spreading your illness to others.
  3. Cover your mouth and nose.
    Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. Flu and other serious respiratory illnesses, like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), whooping cough, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), are spread by cough, sneezing, or unclean hands.
  4. Clean your hands.
    Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
  5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
    Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
  6. Practice other good health habits.
    Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home, work or school, especially when someone is ill. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.

Video from a prior report