As the new coronavirus continues to spread across the country, school officials in Athens and Limestone County were playing it by ear but generally continuing with business as usual Thursday.

Of course, for many, “business as usual” at this time of the year already involves being prepared for influenza outbreaks and the missed days that go with it. In Limestone County Schools, staff are taking it up a notch by changing how they serve lunch to students and stepping up their cleaning routines, according to interim superintendent Mike Owens.

“Anything we can sanitize, that’s what we’re trying to do,” he said.

Athens Bible School principal Randall Adams said teachers, particularly those in elementary, have been cautious about the flu for weeks, and he said they’ll continue to be diligent in regards to COVID-19.

While no school had announced a shutdown as of Thursday afternoon, most were planning for it just in case. The public city and county school systems each have the option of e-learning days, during which students use the internet to do classwork from home.

However, not all students have access to internet outside of school. ACS Superintendent Trey Holladay said ACS can provide devices for students to borrow that will create a WiFi hotspot in their homes.

For students in rural parts of the county, where even regular cellphone service isn’t an option, Owens said teachers are ready to provide work that can be done with classic pencil and paper.

The plans are all things that can be put into a motion quickly, but officials are waiting on more developments before the go-ahead is given.

“This thing is changing day to day,” Holladay said. “… Until a case is located in Alabama, everything we have planned in-state we plan on continuing with.”

“There’s so many unknowns with this that it’s hard to do any hard and fast rules or procedures,” Owens said. He added, “I’m not so naive as to think we don’t have a case in Alabama, but we don’t have any confirmed yet.”

Adams said he heard rumors of a case in Alabama but, like Owens and Holladay, was waiting on official announcement from the Alabama Department of Public Health or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He said if the school has to stop meeting on campus, “we will.”

Athens State

At the university level, Athens State University public relations director Chris Latham said the university was also ready to go online-only if needed.

“A majority of our classes are offered online, so a majority of students are already taking class online,” Latham said, adding the university understands there may also be cases in which Athens State classes continue but a university student’s child is too sick for the university student to attend.

“I think all institutions of higher learning are going through the same thing,” he said.

Latham said the only Athens State event that had been canceled so far was a planned study abroad trip to Italy for the summer, a decision made by the travel company organizing the trip. He said no other activities had been canceled or altered as of Thursday.

However, the university was setting up a web portal that would feature daily updates and a section for frequently asked questions about COVID-19 at Athens State.

When reached for comment, Calhoun Community College confirmed administrators were discussing the issue but was unable to discuss those plans before The News Courier’s deadline.

About COVID-19

The new coronavirus and the widespread media coverage has brought with it some criticism, as some residents wonder why the new coronavirus is such a concern when the flu is so much more prevalent in the area and has led to a higher number of deaths so far.

According to the World Health Organization, the viruses are similar in that they can present with mild or no symptoms, or they can lead to severe disease and death. They are also each transmitted by contact and respiratory droplets, which is why the same preventative advice — for example, washing your hands and coughing into your elbow or a tissue — is given for each.

However, the mortality rate for COVID-19 is believed to be much higher. WHO reported that data currently suggests the mortality rate to be 3-4%, while seasonal influenza is generally below 0.1%.

In other words, if 1,000 Limestone Countians are infected, COVID-19 could mean death for 30 to 40 of them. Seasonal flu could mean death for one — if that. Furthermore, a flu vaccine exists; a COVID-19 vaccine does not.