Pasadena Unified halts 'Grab & Go' meal program after learning kitchen employee may have COVID-19
PASADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- The Pasadena Unified School District has temporarily halted its student meal service after learning that a kitchen employee may have coronavirus.
The employee is currently being tested for COVID-19, according to a statement from Superintendent Brian McDonald, but the diagnosis has not been confirmed.
The district's "Grab & Go" meal program, which serves about 3,000 meals a day at seven of its school sites, was suspended Monday and will remain unavailable to students until at least later this week.
"We know that this may cause hardship to our families and are working with neighboring school districts to provide meals to PUSD students,'' McDonald said.
Out of an abundance of caution, the district is carrying out "extensive cleaning and sanitizing of our kitchens and facilities to minimize any risk of surface transmission,'' he added.
Once the kitchens and facilities have been sanitized, the district says it will reopen the program to provide students with meals while schools are closed to help slow the spread of coronavirus.
The Los Angeles Unified School District has also opened 60 "Grab & Go" food centers in response to the district closing schools amid concerns over the novel coronavirus.
City News Service contributed to this report.
