COVID-19 school outbreak in Paris, Ont., as Burlington classroom closes
Bobby Hristova | CBC News | Posted: September 25, 2020 1:07 PM | Last Updated: September 25, 2020
Cobblestone elementary has an outbreak, a St. Patrick elementary class closed and Nelson secondary has 1 case
Cobblestone Elementary School in Paris, Ont., declared a COVID-19 outbreak on Friday after the virus infected two students.
The school reported a positive case of COVID-19 Thursday afternoon but had a second case in the evening. Calling it an outbreak means the cases are connected in some way or that a link can't be ruled out. Brant County Public Health confirmed the both incidents are student cases.
Grand Erie District School Board wrote in a news release that it told those identified by public health as infected to stay home.
A letter to parents on Thursday told parents the infected individuals are self-isolating for 14 days, along with family and anyone else in the same household.
The health unit will reach out to close contacts in the next 48 hours for contact tracing.
A close contact includes any student or staff in this individual's class or cohort, but may also include others.
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Cobblestone has more than 500 students in kindergarten through Grade 8.
"Our priority is always the health and well-being of our students and staff," said JoAnna Roberto, GEDSB director of education in the release.
"As we move forward together, we'll continue to work in tandem with our public health partners. We're confident in the preventative measures we've taken to deal with COVID-19 as well as the protocols we have in place to quickly identify and respond to cases."
The school is still open after being cleaned and disinfected.
Burlington schools see COVID-19 cases
A classroom has closed in St. Patrick Catholic Elementary School in Burlington after someone in the school community tested positive for COVID-19.
The school is located on Kenwood Avenue near Lakeshore Road.
The Halton Catholic District School Board sent notice to families on Thursday afternoon.
There are few details available at the moment. CBC has reached out to the board for comment.
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In Halton's public board, Nelson Secondary School, on the corner of New Street and Belvenia Road in Burlington, also reported a positive case in a student.
Marnie Denton, the board's spokesperson, told CBC they have not been in the school in the last seven days and had not had contact with other in the school.
"Therefore, there is no identified risk to the school community from this COVID-19 case," she said.
Families and staff were notified on Thursday.
This comes after William Hamilton Merritt Public School in St. Catharines had a positive case of COVID-19.
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