VIRGINIA — All Boys & Girls Clubs will be closed for the next two weeks after Gov. Ralph Northam ordered the closure of all Virginia K-12 schools amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Virginia Peninsula announced Friday.
The statewide closure is intended to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Clubs will remain open Friday and will close at their normal hours.
The governor's office announced Friday that schools will close from Monday, March 16, through Friday, March 27, at a minimum. Localities will maintain authority over specific staffing decisions to ensure students maintain continuity of services or learning, while protecting the public health of teachers and staff.
“We are taking this action to keep Virginians as safe and healthy as possible, and to minimize exposure to COVID-19,” said a statement from Northam's office. “I recognize this will pose a hardship on many families, but closing our schools for two weeks will not only give our staff time to clean and disinfect school facilities, it will help slow the spread of this virus. This is a fluid and fast-changing situation. We will do everything possible to ensure that students who rely on school nutrition programs continue to have access to meals, and that the disruption to academics is as minimal as possible."
The Virginia Department of Education is working with school divisions and the Department of Social Services to ensure students who qualify for free or reduced lunch programs are able to access those programs while schools are closed.
Stay with News 3 for updates.
