COVID in Schools

Northern Health monitoring 2 COVID-19 school exposures

Sep 21, 2020 | 4:27 PM

QUESNEL – Northern Health is monitoring two COVID-19 school exposures, one in Quesnel and the other in Dawson Creek.

The Northern Health website differentiates between an exposure and an outbreak. The exposure dates in both instances were between September 10 and 11.

Eryn Collins, Regional Manager of Public Affairs & Media Relations with Northern Health says, “we want the school community to be aware that a case has been identified, and that Public Health is following up very closely with that case, and any contacts of concern.”

Sue-Ellen Miller, Superintendent of the Quesnel School District says, “one person of our school community has tested positive.”

Miller also says that all schools in the province have a safety plan in place. That safety plan, mandated by the government, includes enhanced cleaning and providing masks.

She says, “what we are doing is just really following our plan as carefully as we can to ensure that staff and students are safe. So our preparation for COVID now, and as we move into a second wave, if that is to come, those safety plans will be what we need to be following throughout this pandemic.”

Collins adds “if parents don’t receive a call from Public Health, there’s no action that they need to take.”

It is unclear if the province would shut down schools again, as it did in March, if a second wave does occur.