Sacramento substitute teacher who tested positive for coronavirus dies

A substitute teacher who worked in the Sacramento City Unified School District died Sunday of complications related to the coronavirus, the district announced Monday.

The district previously reported that the substitute, who worked at Sutterville Elementary School in February, tested positive for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. The teacher was not identified. It is unclear how long the person worked for the district.

The teacher is the second person in Sacramento County to die from the virus. Both were older than 70 and suffered underlying health conditions, according to county health officials.

“We join the family, friends, colleagues and students in grieving this tragic loss. This death underscores the seriousness of this current public health emergency,” schools Supt. Jorge Aguilar said in a prepared statement. “Sac City Unified will continue to implement any and all measures recommended by public health leaders to protect the health and safety of our students, our staff, and our community.”

As of Tuesday, there have been more than 400 confirmed cases of the virus and 11 deaths statewide.

The news comes amid a dramatic slowdown of business and public life after Gov. Gavin Newsom urged people 65 and older and those with chronic health conditions to isolate themselves. L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti has ordered bars, theaters and gyms to close and restaurants to halt dine-in service and limit business to takeout orders and delivery in an effort to stem the spread of the virus.

Officials in seven counties in the San Francisco Bay Area have issued even more stringent recommendations, directing people to stay home, with the exception of going to get food at supermarkets, picking up prescriptions, buying gas, going to the bank and checking on relatives.

School districts across the state, including Sacramento City Unified, have closed their doors and many businesses are urging employees to work from home for the foreseeable future.

“While our community steps up to meet the challenge of this public health crisis, I agree with our district’s decision to temporarily close schools across Sacramento County to slow the spread of COVID-19,” Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said in a statement. “This is one of many steps that public health leaders are recommending, and I commend everyone in our city and county who are working together to meet this challenge with resolve.”