Schools set to reopen amid flu scare

It's back to the books for hundreds of Utah students who got an unexpected break from the classroom in recent days, after officials closed their schools over concerns about the spread of the H1N1 flu virus.

Though the number of "probable" cases continues to rise and now stands at 28 in Utah, Park City High School, Judge Memorial Catholic High School, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School and Redwood Elementary in the Granite School District are all set to reopen today, after state and local health officials made the recommendation, based on new federal guidelines.

Other Park City schools are set to reopen on Thursday, according to a news release issued Tuesday afternoon by district officials.

Sports and extracurricular activities at Park City High School and Judge Memorial resumed on Tuesday, meaning student athletes concerned about missing regional and state competitions will still be allowed to participate.

The Utah Department of Health reported, as of 1 p.m. Tuesday, that the state has 28 "probable" cases and one confirmed case of the virus as follows:

 Summit County: 16 probable, one confirmed,

 Salt Lake Valley: seven probable,

 Weber-Morgan: two probable,

 Utah County: two probable,

 Unnamed county: one probable.

Department spokesman Tom Hudachko said that in the unnamed case, health-district officials preferred that the location not be disclosed "until they have had a chance to communicate with constituents."

Though the state coordinates its direction with that of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "school (closing) decisions will remain a local decision," Hudachko said.

The decisions came at various times on Tuesday after Kathleen Sebelius, the nation's new secretary of Health and Human Services, told reporters during a press briefing at the CDC in Atlanta that despite continued worries about rapid transmission, the virus has been a much milder version of the disease than originally feared.

As a result, "we recommend that schools cease closing with affected cases," she said, adding that the recommendation "makes it even more important that parents and teachers pay attention to any sickness," and people should stay at home when they're ill. New federal guidelines on school closings related to the virus can be found at www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/K12_dismissal.htm.