Coronavirus In Minnesota: St. Thomas Academy Cancels Classes After Parent Tests Positive

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A Twin Cities school cancelled classes and activities Thursday after officials say a parent in the community tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

In a letter to parents, St. Thomas Academy, an all-boys school in Mendota Heights, says that the infected person has not been on campus, but the school decided to begin spring break early out of an abundance of caution.

Classes for Friday have also been cancelled.

In a statement, the school said that it's working with the Minnesota Department of Health and the Dakota County Public Health services to determine a course of actions.

"The Department has informed us that this situation is one of very low risk," the school's statement said.

So far, nine people in Minnesota have tested positive for COVID-19, health officials say.

St. Thomas Academy is among other educational institutions responding to the spread of the disease. On Wednesday, the University of Minnesota suspended in-person classes on its five campuses.

Earlier this week, a school in western Wisconsin closed after a weekend event was attended by someone confirmed to have the virus.