CHILOQUIN, Ore. — Chiloquin Elementary will close its doors for three days to prevent the spread of a "viral illness," officials with the Klamath County School District (KCSD) announced on Tuesday.
The school will be closed for the rest of the week — Wednesday, February 13 through Friday, February 15. KCSD came to the decision after consulting with Klamath County Public Health.
By Tuesday, KCSD said that 56 of 190 students at the school and eight of the 14 staff members had been absent due to illness.
"The virus causes high fevers and vomiting that lasts five to seven days. Tests indicate this is not the norovirus, but is a viral infection," KCSD said in a statement.
Chiloquin High School and all other KCSD schools remained open, and the District said that they were not experiencing the same absence or illness rate — however, increased "cleaning and disinfecting protocols" were put in place.
In its Tuesday announcement, KCSD said that Chiloquin would reopen on Tuesday, February 19, as all public school would be closed in observance of President's Day on Monday.