Hawken, Lawrence, Laurel and University schools students on AIPAC bus with person with coronavirus

Laurel School homepage

The Laurel School had five students on a bus to Washington, D.C., with a person positive for the novel coronavirus.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Four local private schools - Hawken, Lawrence, Laurel and University schools - all had students on a bus to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference in Washington, D.C., with an adult confirmed as positive with the novel coronavirus.

These include four Hawken students, five from Laurel and four from University School.

Two Solon High School students were also on the bus. And two Shaker Heights students are self-quarantining themselves, according to that district.

Gina Walter, spokesperson for Hawken, said none of the students are showing symptoms but are at home in quarantine, rather than at school.

She said siblings of the students are staying at home too, though they are not required to.

The students all shared the bus with an employee of the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland. The man was one of three Cuyahoga County patients informed Monday of a positive test for the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.

One of the female students on the bus has developed symptoms but has tested positive for Influenza A, said Dr. Robert Salata, program director of the University Hospitals Roe Green Center for Travel Medicine & Global Health.

Students from a number of other schools, including Fuchs Mizrachi and the Joseph and Florence Mandel Jewish Day School in Beachwood also attended the conference, which ran March 1-3.

There are now four confirmed cases of COVID-19 among the 18,000 AIPAC attendees: one in Cuyahoga County, one in Los Angeles and two from New York.

Last week, AIPAC attendees were told to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, which calls for those who are feeling sick to stay home and to notify a health care provider if they’re experiencing symptoms.

13 California students who attended AIPAC conference under self-quarantine

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness with symptoms similar to those of the flu — fever, cough and shortness of breath — that has sickened thousands and killed 3,800 in China, according to the World Health Organization. There is not yet a vaccine for COVID-19, nor are there any medications approved to treat it, according to the CDC.

Read more coronavirus coverage:

Ohio coronavirus hotline offers information, advice

Clinic cancels all international travel

Cleaning products that kill the coronavirus

Should I cancel my trip? Experts say it depends.

Masks not necessary, hand washing is best

Berea grad calls for empathy during coronavirus outbreak

Story is being updated.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.