Anchorage schools cancel international travel amid concerns

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The Anchorage School District has announced it is cancelling all school-sponsored international travel in March and April amid concerns over the spread of the new virus that originated in China.

About eight trips and 120 students headed to Europe, South America and Asia will be impacted by the cancellations, District Director of Communications Alan Brown said.

“We didn’t want to put students at any undue risk,” Brown said.

Superintendent Deena Bishop made the announcement Friday after the Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Department of State released new advisories last week.

This announcement comes before spring break, which starts March 6 for students and ends March 13, officials said. Parents are encouraged to be mindful of the risk, current guidelines, quarantines, and restrictions as they take their children on vacation outside of the U.S.

Anchorage School District plans to re-evaluate the international travel cancellation in May as the situation develops.

There are no immediate plans to cancel trips within the United States, but district officials do plan to monitor domestic travel as the spread of the disease, known as COVID-19, continues, Anchorage Daily News reported.

State epidemiologist Louisa Castrodale said no one in Alaska has been investigated for the illness and the state hasn’t had any confirmed cases.

Public health laboratories in Fairbanks and Anchorage now have the ability test virus samples, and results are expected within four to six hours, state health officials said.

“We’re grateful that we now have the capacity to conduct these tests in state, before any testing needed to be done,” Chief Medical Officer Anne Zink said.