News

Local venues take flu precautions as school vacation week begins

BOSTON — It’s school vacation week and many families are making plans to head to local indoor parks or museums, so those venues are taking extra precautions to protect visitors.

The number of flu cases continues to rise in Massachusetts. Experts have said the flu typically peaks in February, but if you think we may see a bit of a break with kids out of school, that may not be the case.

MORE: Flu concerns has some questioning school vacation travel plans

A weekly flu report and map shows the sense of the level of flu activity in our state, and a large area around Boston is colored orange, which isn’t quite as high as areas in red.

Still, flu activity in the state increased between two and seven percent in the past week.

In that period of time, there have been nearly 3,000 lab-confirmed cases of the flu in Massachusetts.

The flu is a serious concern for all of us, including children.

According to the CDC, 84 children have died from the virus so far this season. Twenty-two within the past week.

With children on vacation all week, they may not need to worry about catching the flu in the classroom.

But what about all the places where kids go to have fun?

Kids come in contact with shared surfaces in many locations.

Staff at the trampoline park in Norwood told Boston 25 News cleaning frequently is key.

Parents say they also take precautions.

“Lots of hand sanitizer, lots of hand washing, reminding them to keep their hands out of their mouths,” parent Carolyn Rackliffe said.

Another venue where staff is proactive about germs is the Children’s Museum. They have more than 3,000 people coming through per day during school vacation week.

They said special crews using anti-bacterial cleaners wipe down the exhibits every night.

The museum also has a sign posted at the front door asking parents to reconsider if their child is sick.

>> MORE FLU CONTENT FROM BOSTON 25 NEWS: