HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The state's largest teacher's union has urged Gov. Ned Lamont to be very cautions before deciding whether to reopen schools this spring.

Jeff Leake, the president of the Connecticut Education Association, wrote Thursday that the state must not bow to the pressure to reopen public schools and businesses prematurely.

“Easing up on social distancing too quickly could be deadly,” he wrote.

Before opening the schools, Leake said, the state must develop new protocols designed to keep students and teachers safe. He said those should include staggering start times, implementing new seating formats and changing the way students walk down the halls between periods.

“Schools will need to be disinfected daily, with procedures in place for the continual cleaning of classrooms, hallways, and bathrooms, as well as commonly shared areas and equipment, including computers and desks,” he said.

The governor's current executive order keeps schools closed through May 20. He has said he will make a decision within 10 days.

“Let’s stay the course and continue to flatten the curve, saving the lives of our family members, friends, and neighbors,” Leake wrote. “It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

In other coronavirus developments:

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CONGRESSIONAL INFECTION

The husband of a Connecticut congresswoman has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Democrat Jahana Hayes said in a statement Thursday that her husband, Milford, a Waterbury police officer, was exposed to the virus at work.

Hayes, who represents the state's 5th District, said her husband has no symptoms and tests show she does not have the virus.

Hayes said that she is following national health guidelines and quarantining herself for 14 days.

“While some are clamoring to return to Washington to conduct in-person business, this test result in my own family has reinforced that we still have a ways to go — and there is still real danger in a premature return to regular order for Congress and the country, without appropriate precautions,” Hayes wrote.