Absentee rates have climbed in Bainbridge schools over the past week as concern grows over the outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Washington state.

The Bainbridge Island School District canceled classes for Thursday and Friday, and District Superintendent Peter Bang-Knudsen announced that schools would be closed through April 24, at least, following Governor Jay Inslee’s Thursday afternoon proclamation that all K-12 schools in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties — and Bainbridge Island — would be closed starting next week due to the COVID19 crisis.

Absenteeism figures provided by the Bainbridge Island School District show that fewer and fewer students have been showing up for school since last week.

The number of absent students has grown in every school in the district since March 5.

At Bainbridge High, 62 students were not in class on Thursday, March 5. That number rose to 155 by Tuesday, March 10.

The figures from other schools:

At Sonoji Sakai Intermediate School, 24 students missed school on March 5, and 54 did not go to school March 11.

At Ordway Elementary, 24 kids missed school March 5. That number shot up to 44 by March 11.

At Captain Charles Wilkes Elementary, 12 students were not in class March 5. By March 9, 52 children were absent.

At Woodward Middle School, the school reported 30 absent students March 5. A total of 54 did not come to school March 11.

Absenteeism at Commodore Options School rose from three to five from March 5 though March 9; and the Odyssey Multiage Programs had 15 students out on March 5, and 21 not in school on March 9.