COVID-19 cases in three Windsor-Essex Catholic schools send more students home

Students from three Catholic schools have been dismissed following confirmed COVID-19 cases at each location, the board said in a news release Tuesday. 

The dismissals follow a weekend where the board told at least 184 students and staff members to stay home after the long weekend following positive cases at seven of its schools. 

The new cases reported Tuesday are at the following locations: 

• St. John Vianney Catholic Elementary School. Two classes were dismissed following two positive student cases. 
• St. Gabriel Catholic Elementary School. One class was dismissed following one positive student case. 
• Catholic Central High School. One class was dismissed following one positive student case. 

Students have been told not to return to class Wednesday and the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is reaching out to all those who were directly affected and giving them instructions to follow, the board said. 

In total, 14 schools in the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board and 13 schools in the Greater Essex County District School Board have active COVID-19 cases. 

The public board confirmed three new student cases Tuesday at the following schools: 

• Vincent Massey Secondary School in Windsor.
• Lakeshore Discovery Public School in Lakeshore. 
• Riverside Secondary School in Windsor. 

630 students, staff isolating

Overall, young adults and school-aged children have the highest rates of test positivity in the region, said Windsor-Essex's medical officer of health Dr. Wajid Ahmed in Tuesday's daily COVID-19 briefing. 

There are currently about 600 students and 30 staff members in isolation due to COVID-19 cases across 24 schools. Fourteen cohorts were dismissed over the weekend.

Ahmed said he would order all schools to shut down — as he did in December — if he thought it was necessary but he hopes that things don't reach that point.

The data shows those affected tend to be contracting the disease through household contacts rather than at schools, he said.

There are no schools currently in outbreak in the region.

Other parts of the province, such as Toronto and Peel, announced Tuesday plans to close all schools in their regions, following high case rates.