Update: COVID-19 outbreak declared at R.G. Sinclair Public School

Update (Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021):

The COVID-19 outbreak at R.G. Sinclair Public School has now expanded to involve 11 cases in total.

According to data from Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington (KFL&A) Public Health on Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021, eight cases have been added to the outbreak since it was announced (as below) on Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. According to data from the Limestone District School Board (LDSB) on active cases within its schools, five more cases were detected at R. G. Sinclair later in the day on Monday. The three additional cases are not yet listed on LDSB’s active case webpage.

None of the cases in this outbreak have been resolved at this time.

Original article:

Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington (KFL&A) Public Health has declared a COVID-19 outbreak at R.G. Sinclair Public School.

The outbreak was declared following the detection of two positive cases of COVID-19 in the student body of the school on Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. This comes one day after the Limestone School Board (LDSB) reported that a case was detected in a staff member 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).

One class cohort, as well as the staff member, are isolating and the school remains open, according to the school board. In the interests of maintaining privacy, the board said they will not identify people that have received positive COVID-19 tests.

“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,” Public Health said in a statement dated Oct. 25, 2021.

“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 statement reads. Parents of students at R.G. Sinclair Public School should follow the direction of the LDSB and KFL&A Public Health.