Gov. Inslee orders all Seattle-area schools to close for 6 weeks
2 Portland-area school districts also close for week before spring break
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — As the death toll from the new coronavirus reached at least 31 in Washington state, Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday ordered that all public and private K-12 schools in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties be closed for six weeks.
The schools most close by March 17, Inslee said, and remain shuttered through April 24. Â
Several school districts already announced they will close due to the outbreak. Seattle Public Schools with 53,000 students, closed beginning Thursday.
The statewide total of confirmed cases has topped 450.Â
In the Portland area, meanwhile, the Lake Oswego School Board voted Thursday to close all schools for the week before spring break in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus. The Tigard-Tualatin School District also made a similar move.
