Bullitt County Public Schools closed for rest of week due to illnesses

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Bullitt County Public Schools will be closed for the remainder of the week due to illnesses.

The school district announced the decision Tuesday due to a high number of student and staff absences. It will be a traditional closure, so NTI will not be utilized.

BCPS said the decision to not utilize NTI is due to maximizing instructional time and to allow for deep cleaning, sanitization and student and staff well-being.

"This decision was made to prioritize the health and well-being of our school community," Bullitt County Schools posted. "During this closure, all school facilities will undergo thorough cleaning and sanitization to ensure a safe environment when students and staff return."

Doctors encourage people to frequently wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds to prevent the spread of germs. People who are sick with symptoms like fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue, body aches or difficulty breathing should stay home until they're symptom-free for at least 24 hours without medication. People should also cover coughs and sneezes.

Oldham County Schools is operating on NTI from Feb. 4-6 due to "widespread illness" in the district. In an email sent to district families Monday afternoon, OCS leadership said more than 1,700 students, more than 200 staff and 15 transportation employees were absent Monday due to illness."

Marion, Washington, Trimble and Scott counties all switched to NTI as well. Doctors are seeing cases of the flu, COVID, RSV and norovirus. The flu strain can sometimes take a few days to test positive.

"There can be a short incubation period of a couple days before symptoms present and when you test positive," said Dr. Richard Phillips, Chief Medical Officer Baptist Health Floyd. "So that's not uncommon. That's why we recommend serial testing if your symptoms do persist."

Doctors recommend at-risk populations take extra precautions and stay up to date with vaccines.

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