- Title: Seattle parents react to coronavirus school closures
- Date: 12th March 2020
- Summary: SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES (MARCH 12, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS, EMPTY PLAYGROUND EXTERIOR CLOSED SCHOOL VARIOUS, EMPTY SCHOOLS EXTERIOR OF CLOSED SCHOOL CLOSED SCHOOL SIGN EXTERIOR OF CLOSED SCHOOL EMPTY SCHOOL PARKING LOT VARIOUS, EXTERIORS OF CLOSED SCHOOL PLAYGROUND (SOUNDBITE) (English) SCIENTIST AND FATHER OF TODDLER, DAVID WILLIAMS, SAYING: "We started working from home last week and that was delightful. Until daycare got interrupted, and at that point, it became a lot harder to work from home." PLAYGROUND SWING (SOUNDBITE) (English) SCIENTIST AND FATHER OF TODDLER, DAVID WILLIAMS, SAYING: "I'm hearing frustrations with daycare plans, which I think is a common thing. The thing about being a parent of a toddler is that they are frequently home for illness anyway, so you always have some amount of plan for what to do in these circumstances. This is simply enacting that on an indefinite period as opposed to a several day period, and that is obviously a challenge." (SOUNDBITE) (English) STAY-AT-HOME MOTHER TO INFANT, JENNIFER SKADDEN, SAYING: "I was actually going to be going to Houston to visit my mom and so I had to cancel that. My daughter is going to turn one in two months and my mom is not going to be able to come here. So it's sad about that. I'm thinking more like, how long is this going to happen? My mom is going to be missing out on big events, big moments." KIDS PLAYING (SOUNDBITE) (English) STAY-AT-HOME MOTHER TO INFANT, JENNIFER SKADDEN, SAYING: "I think it's just more alarming of how it can give it to our parents. I think all of us - our age group is more concerned about our parents than our kids." CHILD BICYCLING CLOSED ZOO EXTERIOR CLOSED ZOO SIGN
- Embargoed: 26th March 2020 23:35
- Keywords: COVID19 Seattle Washington closure coronavirus schools
- Location: SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES
- City: SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA001C4R0U9Z
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Washington state Governor Jay Inslee on Thursday (March 12) ordered schools to close in three Seattle-area counties to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus in a state battling the nation's deadliest outbreak.
The closure affects King, Pierce and Snohomish counties and all schools in the state may be ordered to close on Friday, Inslee told a news conference.
Asked by a reporter about President Donald Trump's comments that he was considering travel restrictions to Washington, Inslee said he had not been consulted by the Trump administration about such a move and hoped it would not happen.
Parents reacted on Thursday to the school closures. David Williams, a scientist and father of a toddler, said "The thing about being a parent of a toddler is that they are frequently home for illness anyway, so you always have some amount of plan for what to do in these circumstances. This is simply enacting that on an indefinite period as opposed to a several day period, and that is obviously a challenge."
(Production: Deborah Bloom/Rollo Ross) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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