Cold Spring middle school to re-open next week

Rocori Middle School
Rocori Middle School in Cold Spring, MN.
MPR Photo/Ambar Espinoza

Minnesota's first confirmed case of H1N1 flu prompted an extended closure of Rocori Middle School in Cold Spring, Minn., but the school plans to re-open next Wednesday, May 6.

The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta verified that a person with ties to the middle school is sick with this new flu. Officials are not identifying the person because of privacy concerns.

Nearby St. Boniface Elementary school will re-open on Monday, May 4. The school's principal, Sister Sharon Waldoch, said that will give the school enough time to prepare rooms and programs for music and lunch, since the elementary school shares these programs with Rocori Middle School.

"We are also going to take the necessary precautions for sanitizing or cleaning various areas of the building," Waldoch said. "We didn't have a threat or danger, but we want to make sure we're doing everything we possibly can for the safety of the children."

The Minnesota health department will continue to interview anyone who had contact with the infected person to try to determine the source of the new flu.

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