Pittsburgh Carmalt School to close Monday amid suspected norovirus outbreak

Pittsburgh Carmalt, a magnet elementary school in Pittsburgh’s Brookline neighborhood, will be closed Monday amid a suspected norovirus outbreak, school officials said.

The school is slated to reopen Tuesday.

“Following the review of a high volume of reports of non-covid related illness from students and staff, the district’s physician has determined the illness is most likely caused by norovirus,” district officials wrote in a message to school families.

The school, which focuses on science and technology, has about 540 students.

Norovirus is primarily transmitted through contact with stool or vomit or by touching contaminated surfaces. The virus is “very contagious,” and common symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting and stomach pain, according to district officials.

While the school is closed Monday, the district’s facilities team will clean the building in an effort to prevent further infections among students and staff.

Reopening on Tuesday should allow “more than adequate time for the illness to run its course,” district officials said.

Anyone experiencing symptoms of norovirus should not return to school until they have been symptom-free for at least 48 hours, officials said.