CML Snider school closed for contact tracing for positive COVID-19 case

BREAKING – A positive COVID-19 case has been reported to be related to CML Snider elementary school in Wellington. Parents/guardians were called to pick up their children early Thursday afternoon.

HPEDSB spokesperson Kerry Donnell said the designation ‘outbreak’ has not been declared.

The school will be closed “indefinitely” to allow for contact-tracing to occur.

Sean Monteith, Director of Education, told CML families and staff in a letter that he made the decision to close the school as a preventative measure and will share more communication over the weekend, including what to expect next week.

“The class cohort, as well as several staff who were in the classroom, may be required to self-isolate. Through contact tracing, HPEPH will contact affected students and staff within the next 24 hours. Due to an anticipated higher number of staff absences, we believe we will not have enough staff available for classes to continue safely and to maintain separation of cohorts.

Principal Tina Jones thanked the “amazing Cyclone community” at the school “for your responses today as we worked through the process of dismissing the school.”

She noted Hastings and Prince Edward Public Health and Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board are taking all necessary stops to prevent further spread of the virus, both in the school and in the community.

“The next layer of communication for the school’s families, she stated, will be as follows:
1. Families whose children are not in the affected cohort, will receive another broadcast message stating this. Public Health will not be contacting these families directly.
2. Families whose children are in the affected cohort will also receive a message informing them that Hastings and Prince Edward Public Health will be following up with them individually.”

In a letter jointly signed by the school board and board of health, parents and guardians were told Hastings Prince Edward Board of Health is working with the school to identify any students and staff outside of the case’s classroom who may have been in close contact with the case – both at school or during school transportation, if applicable.

The letter states it is not necessary to have students tested at this time if they do not have symptoms and have not currently been identified as a close contact. “Testing now may lead to unnecessary, or repeat testing,” the letter states.

For more information, visit hpePublicHealth.ca/back-to-school-planning-parents/

Four COVID-19 cases were declared by Hastings Prince Edward Public Health Dec. 3.

With recoveries, the active cases drops to 39, from 44 posted Dec. 2. The counties remain in the ‘yellow’ level with a seven day case rate per 100,000 of 22. The total number of cases since March is now 158, with 114 recoveries and five deaths (in the spring). Click here to view the dashboard.

A fourth outbreak shows on the dashboard, reported in Belleville Dec. 2, with six cases. The Proctor and Gamble outbreak declared Nov. 27 remains at 17 cases.