Apr 29, 2009 6:35 pm US/Central
Cold Spring Waits For Word On Swine Flu
COLD SPRING, Minn. (AP) ―
-
-
Officials canceled classes at Rocori Middle School on April 29, 2009 as they waited for test results that would determine whether a person at the school was infected with swine flu.
CBS
Swine flu's possible arrival in Minnesota had the attention of everyone in this town of about 3,000 on Wednesday, but the reaction from most people was subdued.
Kim Klein, waiting tables at Winner's Bar and Grill on Main Street, joked with her customers.
"I told them they had to take their own dirty dishes home today," Klein said, laughing.
Though she was taking precautions like washing her hands often, Klein said she felt there was little else people could do. "You can't run from it, you can't hide from it," she said.
Down the street at Cold Spring Bakery, a popular downtown gathering spot, retail manager Kathy Sanquist said her employees had mixed reactions.
"Some are waiting to see what happens, and some are kind of panicked already," she said.
Officials canceled classes at Rocori Middle School as they waited for test results that would determine whether a person at the school was infected with swine flu. A private elementary school that shares the cafeteria with the middle school was also closed.
Deb Peine, who works as a nurse at the middle school, said she was pleased the school was closed as a precaution, but she said she wasn't concerned.
"This time of year, there's a lot of stuff it could be. I guess until we find out what's happening, it doesn't make sense to get too riled up," said Peine, who was having lunch with her family at Winner's. "Hopefully it's nothing to worry about."
Parent Pete Spengler was also hoping for the best as he and his wife, Natalie, planned to take their son Max, a seventh-grader at the school, out to a Thai restaurant on his day off. He said he trusted school and health officials' judgment.
"We were surprised," Spengler said, "but it seems preventive and reasonable."
Though Max said he was "a little scared" to think he could get the flu, on Wednesday morning he made fun of his younger and older brothers who still had to go to other schools that remained open. "My older brother was really jealous," he said.
Schools superintendent Scott Staska said he's waiting to hear back from health officials on whether the suspected case is actually swine flu. If it is, he said the middle school will likely stay closed for a time.
"From our perspective, we really want to look at confirmation first," Staska said.
It isn't the first time the town of Cold Spring has been in the state spotlight. Just last year, three dozen people were sickened by a chlorine leak at Rocori High School. And in 2003, two students died in a shooting at the school.
Cold Spring City Administrator Larry Lahr said while most people expected swine flu might show up in Minnesota at some point, he's surprised Cold Spring is back in the news again.
"It's very shocking," he said
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
