DeKalb County School District Interim Superintendent Ramona Tyson has formed a coronavirus task force to monitor schools and updates from authorities on how to combat the disease.

The task force was developed over the weekend, Tyson said, before Georgia officials announced two confirmed cases of the virus in Fulton County, the first confirmed cases in the state.

Tyson said by email that the task force was prompted by the ever-growing crisis as the virus expands its reach. Officials on the task force, from different departments across the school district, met Monday.

Known as COVID-19, the coronavirus is characterized by fever and coughing, even pneumonia and shortness of breath. Most cases have been confirmed in China, where roughly 80,000 of the 100,000 cases have been found. At least 2,800 people there have died.

DeKalb County School District teachers and children are being told to be vigilant about their prevention efforts for the coronavirus, too. Letters sent to parents talk about the importance of washing hands with soap and water, avoiding people who are sick and staying home if illness occurs. Some teachers also have been having students wipe down desks and work stations between classes.

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