Northern Health has declared the outbreak at St. Ann’s Catholic School in Quesnel after COVID-19 positive cases were identified among staff and students.

To date, 27 cases are associated with the outbreak, the result of several smaller clusters of cases.

Northern Health says outbreak-associated cases are those who had tested positive and were in the school setting during their potentially infectious period but that does not mean they acquired COVID-19 in the school environment.

St. Ann’s School will remain closed to in-person instruction while Northern Health undertakes case and contact management.

The school has been voluntarily closed since November 10th, and Public Health is collaborating with the school and the Catholic Independent Schools Kamloops Diocese as part of the outbreak response.

In a school environment, if a student or teacher receives a confirmed positive COVID-19 test result, Northern Health follows a rigorous protocol, including:

  • Contact tracing to determine how the individual was infected and who they were in close contact with in order to advise for self-monitoring or isolation
  • Working closely with the school and school district to maintain close communication with the school community
  • Post details of school exposures online after exposure letters have been circulated to one or more contacts within the school.

 

Files from George Henderson, MyCaribooNow