COVID-19 outbreak declared at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Amherstview

A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic School, located on Park Crescent in Amherstview.

According to the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board (ALCDSB), the first case of COVID-19 was detected on Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021, and is a student case. Today, Friday, Nov. 19, 2021, parents and guardians at the school received correspondence indicating that at outbreak had been declared.

“The purpose of this letter is to inform you that KFL&A Public Health has declared an outbreak of COVID-19 at Our Lady Mount Carmel Catholic School. As per provincial Ministry of Health an Ministry of Education guidance, and outbreak is declared in a school once it has been determined that two or more individuals have tested positive for COVID-19 with an epidemiological like (meaning these students/staff could have become infected with COVID-19 at school, either from each other or a common source), within a 14 day period. This could include transportation,” the letter to school families reads, noting that affected cohorts receive separate letters

“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.”

Jack Seymour, Communications Officer for the ALCDSB, confirmed the outbreak at the school, but said, “We’re still gathering information, but our website has been updated to reflect the outbreak being declared,” and suggested checking back to their website to for more updates on related cases as they become available. Currently, the online listing of active cases with the ALCDSB simply states that an outbreak has been declared at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and does not specify how many cases are involved.

Although the letter to school families was on KFL&A Public Health letterhead, Public Health indicated all information on the outbreak should be communicated through the School Board, and would not confirm the outbreak. The outbreak at Our Lady of Mount Carmel is currently not yet listed on the KFL&A Public Health Dashboard.

Kingstonist will continue to monitor this situation and provide updates if/when more information becomes available.