Palm Beach students back in school after coronavirus scare.

Palm Beach group attended conference where Chinese attendee had symptoms

The Benjamin School in Palm Beach has allowed 30 students and three teachers back in school Thursday after possible exposure to a student from China with coronavirus symptoms.

The private school in Palm Beach County said its decision came five days after none of the students or teachers showed signs of the virus after attending a Model United Nations conference at Yale University. The Chinese student who came down with a cough and fever at the conference tested positive for the flu, and after consulting with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Yale cut the fourday event short and sent all 1,500 students home.

The CDC still hasn’t confirmed the coronavirus status for the student from China, but the student has been isolated while awaiting test results. As of Thursday morning, Yale had not provided more information to those attending its conference.

When they returned to Palm Beach County on Sunday after the conference, the Benjamin School students were advised to remain at home and avoid sharing items such as eating utensils and towels.

On Thursday, the Benjamin School headmaster explained in a letter to parents that its decision to allow the 30 students to return came after reading an overnight article in the New England Journal of Medicine and current CDC guidelines, as well as consultations with local and state health officials. The New England Journal of Medicine published its analysis of how the disease is transmitted and what researchers believe is the incubation period.

“We feel confident in allowing all to safely return to normal daily activities,” read the letter signed by interim Head of School Thomas J. Reid. “The families were informed of this decision earlier this morning with the hope that all could be in class as soon as possible.”

“We still don’t know if our students had close contact with the student from China,” said Juan Carlos Fanjul, chief development officer for The Benjamin School, which has 400 students in its upper school. “CDC guideline says people should monitor themselves for 14 days after a suspected exposure. With that said, if you are not displaying any symptom in that time frame, they recommend you resume your daily life.”

The virus was first reported in Wuhan, China, over a week ago. On Thursday, the confirmed cases stand at 7,700, including 177 deaths. In the U.S., 165 people have been screened and so far only five have been positive for the illness, in California, Washington, Illinois and Arizona. While some have tested negative, 92 results for tests performed in the U.S. are pending.