COVID-19 outbreak declared at Land O’Lakes Public School

Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington (KFL&A) Pubic Health has declared a COVID-19 outbreak at Land’ O’Lakes Public School in Central Frontenac.

The outbreak was declared following the detection of a second positive case of COVID-19 in the student body of the school on Tuesday, Mar. 16, 2021. This comes one day after the Limestone District School Board (LDSB) announced the first case detected at Land O’Lakes Public School. That case was detected among the teaching staff at the school.

The outbreak has been declared as per provincial Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education guidelines, which indicate an outbreak be declared once it has been determined that two individuals at a school have tested positive for COVID-19 with an epidemiological link (meaning that the children/staff could have become infected with COVID-19, either from each other, or from a common source, according to the LDSB).

“Both positive cases are isolating and following directives from KFL&A Public Health. In the interests of maintaining privacy, the board will not identify individuals that have tested positive for COVID-19,” the LDSB said in a press release on Tuesday, Mar. 16, 2021.

“Affected members of the school community have been notified. At this time, the school remains open.”

According to a letter sent home to parents at the school, KFL&A Public Health is working with the school to identify cohorts of students and staff who are affected by the positive cases. Not all students will be affected by the outbreak, the board said.

“We recognize that receiving this information may be stressful and we want to ensure you understand the process going forward. KFL&A Public Health and the school are taking all necessary steps to prevent further spread of the virus both in the school and the community,” the letter reads. Parents of students at Land O’Lakes Public School should follow the direction of the LDSB and KFL&A Public Health.